Breaking: As we press the publish button, it appears that Delta has cancelled its “final” Boeing 747 flight between Detroit and Seoul. That’s kinda awkward for all the aviation and 747 geeks who bought tickets for the final flight. Hmmm. Appears flight is rescheduled for Monday. We’ll monitor, but here’s the Flight Aware status report. Reporter Zach Honig is in Detroit hoping to board the flight and its tweeting about the mishap.

I did it. For years I’ve reported on the boom on Europe’s river boat cruising biz….last week I finally took one! I’ll tell you all about it in an upcoming Trip Report! Have you been on one? Check out my Instagram to see more photos from the trip, but here’s the Viking Gullveig.

Today United announced that it will fly between San Francisco International Airport and Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, in 2018.

United will operate nonstop service, three times weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft between SFO and Fa’a’ā International Airport (PPT), beginning Oct. 30, 2018, through March 28, 2019, subject to government approval.

United’s announcement comes on the heels of French Blue, a new Paris based airline, announcing its intentions to fly between San Francisco and Tahiti starting in May 2018. (However, our contacts at SFO say that they have not heard officially from the airline yet.)

Currently, the only non-stop service to Tahiti from the U.S. mainland is out of Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui and Air France with economy fares in the $1,300 roundtrip range. Hawaiian Airlines also flies once a week between Honolulu and Papeete.

Paris-based low-cost carrier French Blue says it will begin San Francisco-Papeete flights in 2018 using a new Airbus A350. (Image: French Blue)

Until now, one stop fares from SFO via LAX have been in the $1,500. A quick search on United’s site today showed SFO-PPT fares of $1,467 roundtrip in the first week of Oct 2018. Searching for mileage redemptions, the cheapest we could find for October flights was 160,000 round trip.

Before this announcement, United Mileage Plus members did not have an easy way to fly to Tahiti using their miles.

Here’s the San Francisco – Papeete schedule, which still requires government approval.

Flight

City

Frequency

Depart*

Arrive*

UA 115

SFO – PPT

Tues/Thurs/Sun

2:45 p.m.

9:25 p.m.

UA 114

PPT – SFO

Tues/Thurs/Sun

11:45 p.m.

9:50 a.m.next day

Flight time between SFO and PPT is about nine hours. It is about 4,200 miles from SFO to PPT each way.

Tahiti is part of French Polynesia (see map), which is located on the eastern side of the International Date Line, so flights arrive on the same day they depart, not two days later as they do when flying to Asia.

“This route has been on a white board in my office for at least the last seven months,” United’s Patrick Quayle, VP International Network, told TravelSkills. “It’s a honeymoon, bucket list type destination…a unique life experience that we can offer to our customers.”

Tahiti lies just east of the international date line in the middle of the Pacific Ocean about 9 hours from SFO (Image: Google)

United says Tahiti is the “South Pacific’s gateway to more than 118 islands in French Polynesia including Bora Bora, Moorea, the Marquesas and Raiatea.”

Have you been to Tahiti or French Polynesia before? Do you dream of going there? Is there room for TWO airlines to fly nonstop from SFO to PPT? Please leave your comments below.

The European style Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City is dotted with several elegant roundabouts (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

It looks like this winter’s going to be hot for those eyeing tropical vacations. Today we’re seeing deep discounts for January-March trips from several US cities to Mexican beach towns as well as to Mexico City.

How low to Mexico? We are looking at $225-$250 round trip to Mexico City from New York, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. The cheapest roundtrips are on Mexican discounters Volaris and InterJet, but Alaska, Aeromexico and United are pretty close.

How about New York to Cancun for $280 round trip on Delta or Aeromexico in mid-January? Si, viajero! New York to Cabo is just $300 round trip.

Baltimore/Washington to Puerto Vallarta (with a stop in Houston) is just $252 on United. Nonstop to Cancun from Dulles is just $234 on United.

Los Angeles or SF Bay Area to Puerto Vallarta is in the $250 roundtrip range. (Volaris has roundtrips as low as $219)

Los Angeles to Cabo is just $199 roundtrip on Interjet, $222 on Delta and Alaska.

San Francisco or San Jose (SJC) to Cabo roundtrip is running around $242 roundtrip on United, Virgin America and Alaska Air. We note that Southwest’s fares to Cabo and Puerto Vallarta from Oakland are in the $300 range.

Remember: If you are conditionally approved for Global Entry, you can do your interview upon arrival! No long waits or extra trips to the airport. Easy! Pictured: SFO arrivals hall (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Roundtrip fares from the Bay Area to Hawaii as low as $337 (Image: Google)

How low? Well, as of today you can fly nonstop from San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Portland (mostly 1-stop) and Seattle in early December, January February and March for about $340-$380 round trip. That’s quite a deal for winter flights. And the deals are good to Honolulu, Maui, Kona, and Kauai.

SFO-HNL fares dipping to new lows according to this fare history chart from Fare Detective

Plus it appears that all airlines serving Hawaii are in on the deal, with Hawaiian and Virgin America as the most aggressive discounters.

To get the deals, you have to be a bit flexible with travel dates— for example, most of the cheapest fares require mid-week (vs weekend) flights. However, we even found deals on long weekend flights departing Thursday, returning Monday so shop around.

A sampling of cheap fares from the SF Bay Area on Google flights in early February

According to Google Flights, these fares are available for roundtrip in early December, January, February and early March. (Bookable Saturday, Nov 25 and subject to change).

Aloha! Will you go this year?

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This beautiful new bird sails west across the Pacific overnight, departing SFO in the wee hours, arriving HKG in the morning (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

My body feels like it’s time to wind down and get ready for bed, but my brain is saying, “Perk up, buster! You need to get to the airport and catch a 13-hour ride on a shiny new plane to Hong Kong.”

That’s how I’m counting down the hours approaching the 12:55 am departure of Cathay Pacific flight 893 to Hong Kong. This new Airbus A350 takes off in the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning and arrives in Hong Kong at 8 am on Sunday.

My flight is one of three daily SFO-HKG flights Cathay now offers, but it’s the only one that’s an A350. The others, which depart at 11:45 am and 11:00 pm, use Boeing 777s.

You can spot an A350 by its blacked out cockpit window and curly wingtip (Photo: Cathay Pacific)

Cathay added the new Airbus A350 to its fleet in June 2016 but did not deploy any in the US until October 30, 2017, when one landed at San Francisco International and another at Newark Liberty International on the same day. The carrier now has 19 A350s in the fleet with 29 more on order.

To celebrate the arrival of the A350-900 to US shores, Cathay invited a group of media to fly from San Francisco to Hong Kong and back, including a two-day stay at the Peninsula hotel in Kowloon. (Check out my pushy post about the Peninsula here.)

Current fares on Cathay’s SFO-HKG nonstops for January trips are about $700 round trip in economy, $2,000 in premium economy and $5,900 in business class. First class fares (only available on B777 flights) are about $15,000 roundtrip.

Trip highlights:

Mishap at security

Noodles!

Planespotting the A350

Flecks of bright red

Photos of knee-room in all three classes

Charting an unusual course across the Pacific

How many hours of sleep did I get? My secret stash of sleep aids.

A posh pick up at HKG

Friday, 10 pm: Since I know that Cathay has such a stellar lounge at SFO, I decided get to the airport early and spend an hour or two soaking it up. I also had a hankering for a bowl of noodles made on-the-spot, and wanted to snap some photos of the lounge and the A350 as it arrived in the darkness.

Check-in for the flight was quick and easy due to my early arrival, and the airport was remarkably busy at 10:30 pm. The only holdup was at security. Cathay Pacific is a recent inductee into the PreCheck club, but unfortunately I did not get it this time. No probs, I thought; this is one of those times I’ll take advantage of my CLEAR membership. Regrettably I discovered that CLEAR lanes at SFO’s international terminal close at 10 pm, which makes little sense because so many flights depart around midnight and early morning.

At SFO’s international terminal, CLEAR lanes close at 10 pm– just before the midnight rush (Photo: Chris McGinnis

Once I cleared security, I took a nice long walk through the entire Boarding Area A, and then watched the the A350 roll in from Hong Kong. It looks smaller than some of the giant B777s nearby, but holds about the same number of seats: A Cathay A350-900 holds 280 passengers (38-business, 28-premium, 214-economy) while the larger B777 holds 275 (6-first, 53-business, 34-premium, 182-economy).

Cathay’s lounge at SFO is one of my favorites for its design (rich Carrara marble, Solus chairs) and nice tarmac views. Now that there are two Cathay flights departing around midnight (11 pm and 1 am), the lounge is busy, but I had no problem finding empty seats. There’s a full bar, and a hot and cold buffet, but the most popular stop is the steamy noodle bar. A bowl of noodles at 11 pm sure is a nice way to slip into an overnight transpacific journey.

A comforting bowl of dan dan noodles is the perfect sendoff for a transpac flight (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Foster & Partners designed these cool Solus chairs for Cathay lounges around the world (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

When invited on trips like this, I always try to arrange an early boarding so I can get some good shots of the interior of the plane before passengers board. I get on with the wheelchairs, which gives me about five minutes to shoot all three cabins on this big bird. Phew!

First impression when you walk on board is the cool, calm and collected green, cream and beige color scheme, with flecks of bright red. For example, some (but not all) flight attendants wear bright red blazers or skirts. In business class seats, the interiors of in-seat storage bins are also bright red (a color that symbolizes good luck and happiness in Chinese culture). The green and red combo is almost Christmas-like to me.

Rows 11-19 in the fore business class cabin on Cathay Pacific’s A350 — this is a reverse herringbone layout and every seat has aisle access. (Chris McGinnis)

Row 18 in business class on a Cathay Pacific A350-900–note the red storage bins (Chris McGinnis)

A window seat in business class on Cathay Pacific’s A350 (Chris McGinnis)

Plenty of room for the lower extremities on Cathay Pacific’s A350 in business class (Chris McGinnis)

This is what 32 inches of pitch looks like to your knees on the A350 (Chris McGinnis)

There’s no first class section on Cathay’s A350s, but business class is almost as good an many first class seats I’ve seen. All seats in this reverse herringbone layout have aisle access. High side walls and blinders make the in-seat experience very private. If you are traveling with a companion it might be smarter (and easier to communicate) sitting across the aisle from each other due to the barriers between the middle seats.

Business class seat configuration is 1-2-1. Premium economy is 2-4-2. Economy is 3-3-3.

In business class, the seats to avoid are the first two center seats (oddly, the first row is Row 11, seats D&G). Noise and traffic from the galley is a factor, and when the curtains are pulled, it appears nearly impossible to get out of your seat without ruffling them.

At the back of the business class section, rows 20 and 21 are separated from the main business class cabin by a galley and lavatory area. This is where I sat, in seat 21D–the last row just in front of premium economy. I really liked the cozy feel and quiet of that small aft cabin. The bulkhead seats are not as exposed to the galley area as they are on row 11.

At this hour of the night, passengers are boarding quickly with yawns and stretches. The flight is 100% sold out. Once we are all seated, I notice how eerily quiet everyone is. It’s late. You can tell that nearly everyone just wants the lights to dim so they can nod off.

All passengers are yawning except for me, of course. I’m someone who gets energized about being on a new plane no matter what the hour!

In my seat, I quickly I unload the contents of my briefcase into the two roomy in-seat storage bins. The lower one is big enough for my Macbook. Nice!

As we taxi and take off (in my aisle seat I can’t look out the window), I’m completely absorbed by the robust inflight entertainment system and the big bright touch screen. It can be controlled by touching the screen or via the corded tablet mounted on the wall next to my seat. There are way too many movies and TV shows to scroll through, so I just go to the inflight moving map, which is hypnotic to a geek like me.

This modern bird also has exterior cams– one on the tail and the other on the front, and you can toggle between views from your seatback. At night it’s not much of a show, but I look forward to seeing more when we get to HK in the morning!

At first our course was set northwest, but the pilot later switched to due west across the Pacific (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Over my right shoulder is the control panel for the seat recline, reading light and a handheld tablet that mirrors the big screen (Chris McGinnis)

I appreciated the easily accessed tray table (Chris McGinnis)

At about 1:35 am we are climbing up and straight out over the Pacific. Most flights to HKG take a northerly route toward the Aleutian Islands and then down over Japan. Tonight it’s a direct shot over the middle of the ocean, over the top of Taiwan and straight into Chek Lap Kok. The map says it will be 13 hours, 5 minutes. I jump up and go to the lavatory to change into a long sleeve t-shirt to lounge and sleep in. (Pajamas are not provided.) Flight attendants hang my shirt so I’ll be fresh as a daisy Sunday morning in Hong Kong.

Since this flight is so late, flight attendants offer a quick light meal shortly after takeoff. Since I’ve had my noodles in the lounge, I pick at the smoked duck salad, but polish off the hearty butternut squash soup served in a mug. Nice touch. (Main course selections included stir fry pork or beef tenderloin.) I watch “Rough Night” on the big screen for a few chuckles. (See current movie selections here.)

There is wi-fi on Cathay’s A350 (but not on its B777s or A330- but it’s coming soon via Gogo) but I only used it on the return flight. It was very fast and very cheap–just $13 for the whole flight.

Mmmm. Butternut squash soup served in a mug (Chris McGinnis)

A smoked duck salad and soup, plus a bowl of fresh berries comprised the light choice meal served quickly after take off (Chris McGinnis)

A nice nook for the noise cancelling headsets and my personal items like glasses, phone, charger, wallet located by my shoulder (Chris McGinnis)

Shortly thereafter the lights dim. The plane gets very quiet. I look at my watch and it’s 3:30 am in San Francisco and about 6:30 pm in Hong Kong. Everyone except me is snuggled in for the night in my mini-business class section. I take a melatonin and a big chug of water. My 6 foot body fits just fine in this lie-flat seat. I put in my Mack’s earplugs, wrap my puffy Dream Essentials mask around my head, flatten the seat. Like a light, I’m out. Gone. Deep in dreamland. Zzzzz.

Later, deep in my sleep cocoon I wake up and wonder, “Hmmm I wonder what time it is?” I feel like I’ve slept well, had some good dreams and feel rested. But should I look at my watch? What if I’ve only slept hard for about two hours and there are seven more to go? I pull my mask up and drink the entire bottle of water a flight attendant has kindly left by my seat. It’s still dark and quiet in business class.

Okay. Time to look at the watch. I have not yet re-set it to HK time. I look and it says 1:00 pm. I shake my head and do a double take and look again. Yes, 1 pm in San Francisco. I fell asleep at about 4 am PT. That means I just slept on a plane for NINE hours. Wow. That must be a record for me. My combination of a lie-flat seat, ear plugs and eye mask has done the trick. I will conquer my first day in Hong Kong with gusto!

I went to sleep back of the coast of California and woke up over the South China Sea! (Chris McGinnis)

We still have about two hours to go, so I get up, stretch and go to the lavatory to freshen up, splash some water on my sleepy face, brush my teeth. Back at my seat flight attendants see me stirring and scurry over with more water and a hot towel.

I look at the inflight map and see that we are flying over the southernmost island of Japan (and wonder if those are the ones that China claims and is building a military base there). Then we fly right over the top of Taipei.

Other passengers begin to stir. The lights come up. God, I wish they’d open the windows so we could see the sunrise but they stay shut. Luckily the tail cam is working so I can see the morning sunrise over the South China Sea. It’s gorgeous out there.

Breakfast comes in three courses: first coffee or tea, and next a delicious fresh fruit plate and a selection of bread or pastries. Then cereal or yogurt. Then the hot meal. I always go native and chose the breakfast dim sum. But I could have had a shitake mushroom omelet or seafood congee.

A beautiful sunrise as we approach Hong Kong International via the A350 tail cam! (Chris McGinnis)

This is how you get to The Peninsula Hotel from HKG- check out those suicide doors on this deep green Rolls! Dios mio! (Chris McGinnis)

Wow! What a way to fly to Hong Kong. And once we land, there are two dark green Roll-Royce limos waiting to pick up our group and whisk us to the Peninsula. Cars are stocked with water and wi-fi and lined in plush caramel leather.

Hello Hong Kong! Stay tuned for more about my stay and return flight.

How do you fly to Hong Kong? Have your flown Cathay? Please leave your comments below.

Disclosure: I was a guest of Cathay Pacific Airways and the Peninsula Hotel for this trip.

This Friday Nov 17 will be the busiest day of the Thanksgiving holiday- use good timing to find the best deals (Image of Cathay Pacific A350 at SFO, Chris McGinnis)

Want a great travel deal? Then you need to focus on your timing.

While everyone is moaning about high holiday fares, I’m going to let you in on a secret: Smack in the middle of what’s typically the most expensive time of year to travel lies the CHEAPEST time of year to travel.

How’s that? Well, let’s take a walk thru the calendar and I’ll show you when to pounce on deals—and when you should be prepared for sticker shock. It’s a bumpy ride of highs and lows, so stick with me and you’ll eventually find a perfectly timed deal that works for you.

November-December

Viking River Cruises are about 45 percent less expensive in winter months (Photo: Viking)

Travel prices are relatively cheap in the early part of November but spike around Thanksgiving. However, travel patterns have been changing lately. Traditionally, the one of the busiest days of Thanksgiving holiday is the Wednesday before. But in recent years, the FRIDAY before Thanksgiving has emerged as one of the two busiest days at most major airports. The other busiest day is of course the Sunday after.

While it’s likely too late to find many deals during Thanksgiving week, keep an eye out for some last-minute deals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday– the slowest days. You’ll also find good downtown hotel rates in many cities this week since business travelers are home- your relatives will thank you 😉

Another silver lining for bargain hunters? An early Thanksgiving (Nov 23) means that the so-called “dead weeks” will begin earlier. These typically begin during the first week of December, but this year they’ll start around Tuesday, November 28. This holds true nearly everywhere except in NYC when prices begin to soar in December due to holiday shopping frenzy that grips Manhattan- airfares rise slightly, but hotel rates, especially on weekends in December, spike. (Good luck finding anything decent for less than $500.)

This is also a great time to consider one of those super-popular European river cruises which frequently sell out months or even years in advance. For example, a November week-long sailing on the Danube in Viking River Cruises starts at $1,999 per person – which is approximately 45 percent less than a peak summer, which starts at $3,649 per person. (I’ll be sailing the Danube on Viking this December so stay tuned for a Trip Report!)

January-February:

New York’s Central Park puts on a spectacular show in the fall – but rate hotel rates don’t fall til January (Chris McGinnis)

When everyone goes home after New Years, travel demand plummets and we fall into another short period of “Dead weeks” — the slowest (and cheapest) time of year for bargain hunters.

Early January through the early March is a great time to find excellent last-minute deals. Exceptions to this would be long weekends like Martin Luther King (Jan 13-15, 2018) Valentines/Presidents Day (Feb 14-19, 2018).

If you are between jobs, retired with no kids in school and have the flexibility to travel during these weeks, you’ll see jaw dropping low prices….and also lots of good last-minute deals on sites like Hotwire.com or LastMinuteTravel.com or apps like Hotel Tonight.

New York and San Francisco hotels have become freakishly expensive this year, but you’ll find some good deals if you go during January. (See New York Hotel Week for some good ideas.) If you’ve been priced out of these cities, January would be a great time for cost-conscious business travelers to set up meeting with prospects and clients.

Winter is also a very nice time to visit California Wine Country, especially if the sun is out. And the region could definitely use your help this winter- you’ll find a broad welcome mat and cheaper hotel rates, too. See The 29 Napa for ideas. I’ll be there in March to watch the beautiful mustard bloom yellow across the valleys!

March-April

This is what springtime looked like last year near my sister-in-law’s house near Lake Tahoe (Photo: N Dean)

This is spring break and you need to be on alert for high prices and surprise crowds at airports, especially if you live in or near a college town OR if you are headed to a warm weather destination like Florida, Mexico or the Caribbean. Find out when the university nearest you has spring break (see calendar by school here) and stay home that weekend!

Late March is usually the busiest time of year for collegiate Spring break, and April is more popular with families traveling around Easter. But in 2018, Easter is early (April 1) so the last week in March will be crazy with both family and collegiate spring breakers hitting the roads and skies and bumping up airfares, hotels and rental car rates.

If you feel priced out of skiing this winter, consider taking a trip in early April (after Easter) when you’ll find cheaper fares, deals on lift tickets, and lots of end-of-season fun and festivities. (One day lift tickets at Vail this year are $164. At Squaw Valley: $158. Ouch) And if it’s like last year was in the West, you’ll find some of the best ski conditions of the year (but don’t count on it!).

April-June

There’s a silver lining to an early Easter, though, which is a much longer “shoulder season” when demand dips along with prices. Shoulder season in 2018 will run almost 10 weeks from early April until mid-June when peak summer pricing and crowds kick in. (Except of course Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28, 2018).

Shoulder season is not as cheap as the dead weeks, but it’s not anywhere near the peak of what you’ll pay during July or August. This is probably the very best time of year to travel to Europe because the weather is getting warmer and summer crowds have not arrived. This is when new low fare carriers like Norwegian and WOW Air offer super low fares which are frequent matched by the majors. Hotels are cheaper, too. And there are flowers blooming!

The peak of the peak summer season does not start until mid-June, so you’ll find significantly lower prices in early June compared to later in the month. Prices soar after that, especially on and around July the 4th and stay high mid August when kids go back to school. The also spike for Labor Day.

Keep in mind that late August is still technically summer so if you can time your vacation then, you’ll save a bundle. Keep an eye out for summer fare sales that roll out in the spring that offer the best deals to those willing to travel before about June 15 and after about August 15.

September-November

Fathom ship Adonia entering the harbor at Santiago de Cuba- cruise ships can still call on Cuban ports and the cheapest time to go is autumn (Photo: Fathom)

What’s best about shoulder season is that there are TWO of them! The second one starts in September and lasts all the way to Thanksgiving.

Fall is a slow (and very cheap) time for cruising because kids are back in school and people are fearful of hurricanes. But the reality is that modern cruise ships are fast enough to navigate around storms.

Leisure travelers should keep in mind that this is convention season in many major US cities, so mid-week rates at big city hotels can soar to freakish levels, and then crash on weekends when conventioneers leave town.

Last year Marriott created a helpful infographic with some great ideas for taking advantage of the off-season.

When do you find the best travel deals? Do you have the flexibility to travel during the slower shoulder season or dead weeks? Please leave your comments below.

Today’s flight is United’s final journey for the Boeing 747 pictured here loading up for the trip SFO to Honolulu (Image: United)

Not everyone could be on United’s final Boeing 747 flight today, including me. But I’ve been watching the event unfold on social media while flying across the Pacific on a brand new wi-fi equipped Cathay Pacific A350 by following #UA747Farewell on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. (Click on the links to see the stream).

It looks like a fun trip, which included toasts by United CEO Oscar Munoz and a cast of lucky passengers and flight attendants (mostly) dressed up in 70’s garb.

United flight attendants lining up for a pre-flight photo opp at the airport (Image: United)

The trip got off to a rocky start with a maintenance delay (not unexpected for a plane destined for a desert retirement!), but then took off and made a dramatic exit right over the top of San Francisco, and then a low run over the Golden Gate Bridge before turning out over the Pacific for the final 2,500-mile flight to Honolulu. Check out the flight path here.

While I was unable to make this trip, our writer Nancy Branka is onboard and will have a full report on her experience later this week.

The flight included a special meal catered by Trader Vic’s…and plenty of mai-tais!

A special Hawaiian style menu for United’s final 747 flight to HNL (Image: United)

United says, “From a 1970s-inspired menu to retro uniforms for flight attendants to inflight entertainment befitting of that first flight, the ‘Queen of the Skies’ is being sent off in style. Seats for this flight sold out in less than 90 minutes when this farewell celebration was announced in September.”

Delta will retire its Boeing 747s in December while other international carriers such as British Airways and Qantas (as well as many cargo carriers) will be flying them for many more years. Also, the newer Boeing 747-8 flown by Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China should be around for decades.

There was also a very nice goodbye to the graceful Queen of the Skies on CBS This Morning on Sunday. Here’s the 5-minute clip in case you missed it.

What will you miss most about the Boeing 747? What do you think about the new generation of planes taking over long distance flying, such as the Boeing 777-300 or 787 Dreamliner…or the Airbus A350 and A380? Please leave your comments below.

Mexico City’s bustle is back along the Paseo de la Reforma and the St Regis Hotel (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Back in early September I took a quick trip to Mexico City and came away as impressed as I was when I visited five years ago to write this story for BBC. I know it may sound crazy coming from someone who has traveled to a LOT of cities, but Mexico City is one of my favorite places in the world. Seriously. Go there, or talk to someone who has recently visited and you’ll find out why.

I was all set to sit down and write this Trip Report when the earthquake struck Mexico City on September 19. According to my sources there, in the six weeks since the tragic 7.1 temblor, the city has quickly recovered and there is very little visible evidence of the disaster.

Officials report that nearly all the big 3- to 5-star hotels used by business travelers are open and unscathed by the quake. And demand for hotel rooms has been remarkably resilient. Mexico City hotelier Michael Chiche told me, “It’s fair to say that the city is back to business as usual.” He said that most of the severe damage was in residential areas, but that the central touristic areas, including popular Polanco where his Las Alcobas hotel is located, are fine.

The bustle is back at the slick St Regis Mexico City (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Our best Mexico City meal was lunch at the big, bright, noisy and delicious Contramar in the Condesa neighborhood (Photo: Barkley Dean)

In early September, I flew Alaska Airlines from San Francisco to Mexico City for Labor Day weekend. It had been about five years since my last visit, and once again, I came away impressed.

CDMX, as the city now refers to itself, has an incredibly diverse and sophisticated food scene. While there are few brand new hotels, the existing stock is impressive, continually updating and inexpensive— a quick scan of rates shows five-star hotels going for as little as $220 per night this fall and winter. It’s insanely busy and frenetic– since CDMX is the country’s capital city, financial center, technological & industrial heart, and its “Hollywood,” the city feels like a combination of New York, Washington and Los Angeles with a little chili pepper tossed in.

Getting around town is an inexpensive cinch now that Uber is there. And the downtown core is cleaner, and feels safer, than most U.S. cities I’ve visited recently. From the ride from airport to city, to my walks along the Paseo de la Reforma and the hip neighborhoods of Condesa, Roma, and Polanco, I saw almost no litter and few homeless, and I felt as safe or safer than walking around Union Square in San Francisco, Midtown Atlanta or Manhattan. To me, Mexico City felt like Europe without the jet lag, high prices and tourist throngs.

Most of the business travel scene takes place on the western side of the central core, where the action is in and around Polanco and the broad, tree-filled, European-style Paseo de La Reforma and Chapultepec Park. Take a stroll through this clean, green well-tended park and you’ll find yourself catching your breath since Mexico City lies at 7,200 feet above sea level. If you have time, see Chapultepec Castle where Maximiliano lived (I regrettably missed this due to a late start).

New nonstops between San Francisco and Mexico City on Alaska Airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

AIR:Nonstop flights between the US and Mexico City are proliferating, which means more flight choices and lower fares. San Francisco is a perfect example of that. As of last summer, there are four airlines serving SFO-MEX nonstop: Aeromexico, Alaska Air, United and Volaris. (San Jose recently announced new nonstops, too. Seattle did, too.) As a result of all that competition, round trip fares between the two cities have dipped as low as $225 round trip this fall and winter-– which makes a trip to Mexico City even more of a bargain than it already was. Checking today, I found roundtrip fares on Volaris, a Mexican discounter, at $224; other carriers are in the $300 range. I flew Alaska Airlines over Labor Day weekend when fares were about $350 round trip. First class fares are a relative bargain, too, at about $600 round trip (for a four-hour flight). Arrival, customs and immigration in Mexico City were easy and uneventful. Even with an Air France A380 from Paris unloading at the same time, we only spent about 20 minutes in the immigration line (there are no fast track lanes).

GROUND: Uber is cheap, easy, safe and plentiful in Mexico City. We never waited more than three minutes for a car. While Mexico City’s cheap-but-efficient Metro trains now run to the airport, it would be a challenge to take a comfortable ride with baggage since the trains are so jam packed. For airport runs, I recommend a car or taxi– just be aware of roadway rush hours– 8-10 am, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. UberX costs only about $12 for the ride from the airport to the city center; Uber Black is about $30. (Uber’s new tipping function does not work in Mexico.) Lyft does not operate in Mexico City. Since Uber was so easy, I did not use taxis at all. Most of our center-city rides cost less than $5. But I spent most of my time on foot– my Fitbit recorded a whopping 20,000 steps per day for the three days I was there.

The St Regis Mexico City is part of a dramatic glass and steel residential tower on the Paseo de la Reforma (Chris McGinnis)

Exquisite rooms with lots of local color and a fantastic location at Las Alcobas in Polanco (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

HOTELS: We stayed at the St Regis Mexico City on Paseo de la Reforma, where rates ran $290 per night. (Disclosure: I accepted a 50% off media rate.) The hotel is part of a gorgeous glass and steel residential tower with commanding views of the environs. Inside, it is swathed in rich marble and wood, spritzed with aromatherapy, decorated with fresh flowers and manned by a pleasant, professional staff. A brand new veranda overlooking a busy roundabout offers lots of fun, talented mixologists, and a see-and-be-scene among hotel guests and wealthy “Chilangos,” as Mexico City residents call themselves. Rates start at around $250 per night—quite a deal for a property that regularly vies for the top spot among luxury hotels with Las Alcobas, an SPG-affiliated 35-room, 5-star gem located in the posh Polanco district on Avenida Masaryk—“the Rodeo Drive” of Mexico City.

Note that since Mexico City is a huge business travel destination, upscale hotel rates are higher (sometimes much higher) on weekdays than on weekends.

Most American business travelers stay nearby among the four giant hotels on the edge of Polanco overlooking Chapultepec Park–there you’ll find the InterContinental, W, Hyatt and JW Marriott. More adventurous travelers may choose to stay in the non-brand hotels in the hip neighborhoods of Roma or Condesa. (Regrettably, these older districts were saw more earthquake damage than newer areas like Polanco.) On one of my long walks, I ducked into the popular Condesa DF and the unusually beautiful El Parque Mexico (no in-room TV or A/C). Other popular smaller hotels: La Valise, Habita or the mod, colorful, mid-century modern El Camino Real Polanco.

The unusual Parque Mexico is sure cool to look at both inside and out but it gets trashed on TripAdvisor (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

WEATHER: The “wet” season in Mexico runs from May to September, with a little rain expected every day. The dry season runs November to May with the warmest months of the year being April and May. Overall, due to the high altitude, the climate is cooler than you might expect. Also, with all those clouds scrubbing the air during rainy season, air pollution is not that bad during wet months (and in general, the air is much better than it use to be). It’s worse during the colder, drier winter months when there’s an inversion in the valley where the city lies.

PHONE: My Verizon phone worked just fine– $5 per day for unlimited calls and data using Verizon TravelPass. Other major carriers offer similarly cheap and easy plans — just be sure to set them up before you depart the US. (See all options here)

Pujol is one of the most sought after reservations in Mexico City- just be prepared to pay up and eat weird. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

EATING AND DRINKING: Mexico City is one of the hottest foodie cities in the world now. The breadth and sophistication of the scene surprised me. The best meal I had in Mexico City was lunch at Contramar. Note: Lunch in Mexico starts late at 2 pm. When I arrived at 1 pm, the place was deserted. By the time I left Contramar at 3 pm it was packed. Reservations are required. At my table we enjoyed a whole grilled red snapper with green and red salsa, but the best thing I ate on the entire trip was the tuna tostada with dried onions, lemony mayonnaise and a slice of avocado (See photo up top). After lunch I followed the lead of locals asked for a carajillo—a shot of coffee with Licor 43 and cream. If you miss out on Contramar, try Entremar, its sister restaurant on Polanco.

Tamarindo margarita with worm salt, a pickled carrot sprinkled with dried, crushed ants, and an ant larvae tarte on the menu at Pujol. Yes, I ate it all and liked it! (Photo: Chris McGinnis

We also dined at the Omikase bar at the super hot and super expensive Pujol (see above). We ducked into the very upscale and modern Biko (in Polanco) where the focus is on the food– the small bites are plated to perfection, and the visual show on the table is magnified due to the cool gray drab interior.

One of the most memorable meals was Sunday brunch on the big bright new veranda of the Restaurant Diana at the St Regis. The diverse spread is outstanding with multiple stations, lots of locals, big views off the new veranda and only about $45 per person without wine or champagne ($75 with). Dinner in the same space is an excellent choice for entertaining… a young talented chef turns out a diverse menu that blends local food and spices with European classics.

Sunday Brunch at the St Regis Mexico City on a veranda overlooking the Paseo de la Reforma (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Something I learned from a bartender at the St Regis: Chilangos don’t drink margaritas— they are considered a beach drink. The most popular drink in town is the paloma, a combination of tequila and lime juice topped off with a grapefruit soda like Squirt or Fresca.

A word about street food: Having had my bouts with Montezuma’s Revenge in previous trips to Mexico, I admit I was at first hesitant to try street food in Mexico City, but I ended up giving in with no ill effects. Best advice: Ask locals where THEY eat off the street and go there. Or look for long lines and lots of steam at the many taco stands. Ask around and you’ll find out where to go.

Mexico City’s Metro system is clean and cheap–and very crowded at peak times with cars reserved for women and children. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

MONEY: Mexico City is always a nice bargain for Americans, and it’s recently become even more of one as the dollar has strengthened against the peso, reaching nearly 20 pesos per US dollar in recent weeks. Combine that with inexpensive 4-5 star hotels, reasonably priced dining and cheap airfare.

The city is laid out east-west along the Paseo de la Reforma as its spine. On the western edge of the city is the new Santa Fe enclave of office towers, luxury hotels and shopping malls. A lot of US companies have set up shop in Santa Fe. Its distance from the central city and traffic issues (it can take over a hour to get there by Uber in bad traffic) make it a nice upscale island, but does not feel much like Mexico.

Moving east, you’ll find the trendy Polanco district, “the Beverly Hills” of Mexico City. This is where the city’s corporate, governmental and diplomatic elite hang out and/or reside. It’s also where you’ll find the trendiest restaurants, late night bars, and exuberant youth. It’s also an excellent place for a stroll with several stops at the many outdoor cafes.

The European style Paseo de la Reforma is dotted with several elegant roundabouts (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Next up along “el Paseo” is Chapultepec Park and a series of European style roundabouts adorned with fountains and gleaming gold statues. It’s where you’ll find the newest, tallest skyscrapers and nicest hotels like the St. Regis, the Four Seasons and a new Ritz-Carlton coming in 2019. On the southern side of the Paseo are the hip neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa where you’ll find the best bars, outdoor cafes and younger, hipper set.

Continue on to the east and you’ll find the Centro Historico—the old center of town. Here you’ll find the statues, cathedrals, plazas and monuments of a 500-year-old capital city. It’s definitely worth seeing, but there’s not a lot of business taking place there. If you have time, be sure to saunter into the Sears Department store across the street from the spectacular Bellas Artes, go up to the 8th floor for a cup of coffee and a view that will blow you away (See above). And about 20-30 minutes east of that is Benito Juarez International. And beyond that is the massive NEW Mexico City airport that has already broken ground. The first phase is expected to open around 2020.

There you have it! Four days well spent in what I think is the biggest sleeper destination in the western hemisphere. Among the other Americans I spoke with on this trip, there was a conspiratorial smile and wink that said something like, “Let everyone back home think this place is dangerous and squalid. It’s too bad that’s the perception, but we’ll keep coming back until the secret is out!”

United and SFO both rank third in popularity among Instagram users- click to go to my Instagram!

Are you a big Instagram user? Plenty of travelers are these days (especially younger or younger-at-heart ones like me), and they often post pictures before, during and after their trips. But which airports and airlines are most popular among them?

That’s what TravelBank – an automated expense reporting specialist – wondered, so it reviewed Instagram data to find out, basically by looking at the number of followers each airport and airline have on their accounts.

Los Angeles International grabbed the number one spot in airport popularity, perhaps because a paparazzi mindset permeates the passenger terminals. (Ever try to grab a selfie with a passing celebrity?) TravelBank writes: “Currently in the middle of a $1.6 billion renovation, LAX will not only continue to be the place where people snap pics with the rich and famous, but it’s bound to keep flyers happy with its endless amenities and its Instaworthy locale.”

Ranking second was Chicago O’Hare (maybe just by virtue of its size). In addition to its colorful underground passageways, TravelBank says O’Hare’s public art collection and multiple restaurants that overlook the runways make for shareable moments on Instagram.

A post shared by O’Hare International Airport (@flyohare) on Sep 27, 2017 at 9:42am PDT

Coming in third place was my very own San Francisco International. TravelBank says “SFO is a major travel hub for the app-loving millennials of tech-savvy San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Add in a selection of Instagrammable dining options serving local favorites (we’re looking at you Napa Farms Market) and a $2.6 billion expansion, and it’s easy to see why SFO comes in at #3.” My favorite spot for plane spotting and then post pics on Instagram is out at gate 66 in United’s new(ish) T3E terminal. Plus the airport regularly posts some great archival photography from its outstanding SFO Museum.

As for airlines, there were no big surprises, with American, Delta and United ranking first through third, and the number of their Instagram followers reflecting their total passenger numbers:

At the top of the heap with nearly 650,000 followers is American Airlines— as the largest US carrier, sheer size is in its favor here. TravelBank adds: AA has raised the bar and reaffirmed its commitment to passenger satisfaction with its investment in new aircraft, improvements to its business class product, the overhaul of its hub airport lounges and much more. It’s no wonder that American passengers have been eager to follow along with the company’s Instagram journey more than any other airline on our list!

A post shared by American Airlines (@americanair) on Jul 5, 2017 at 10:00am PDT

Here’s a nice Instagrammable moment with #2 Delta showing off it’s popular outdoor deck at JFK. TravelBank adds: Delta’s onboard product is regarded as the best among the big 3 airlines, and upgrades to its fleet — like serving award-winning food options and craft beer — along with tech-friendly improvements like in app luggage tracking and auto check in make Delta a favorite among the Instagram crowd.

Last Spring Delta invited me to Atlanta for the launch of its new 747 Experience at the Delta Museum by the airport. I scrambled all over the vintage 747 and snagged a bunch of snaps like this which I posted on Instagram. Are you following me? Why not! Get cracking!

View from the recently refurbed Ali’i Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu. (Photo Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

Before we get to this week’s top 10 (below), we need to let you know about a fare sale happening right now. How about Hawaii for just $305? It’s in there!

United’s been on a tear this week with tons of low fares for winter trips from the Bay Area- we can barely keep up! First it was Hawaii at $325, then South Florida for $251, then SFO-Boston for just $197 or in basic economy, $228 regular (even during peak summer) and now SFO-HNL or Maui (OGG) are back and even lower at $299-$305- and these fares are good November thru May and then again in August and September. (UPDATE: The cheap Hawaii fares appear to have flown away on Monday morning Oct 30)

The there’s SFO-Chicago ORD on United, America and Virgin for $165 (basic)-$205 now thru end of Feb. And there’s even more: SFO-LAX for just $73 roundtripin basic economy (doable on such a short route), $110 in regular. Yep, and it’s good for trips late November through end of February. Grab ’em while they are hot! All fares found on Google Flights & United.com and subject to change.

We found roundtrips between SFO and Maui or Honolulu in January for just $305 (Image: United website)

Don’t miss! Winter vacation in a warm place? IHG Rewards PointBreaks for award stays now through end of January at IHG properties around the world.

Chris checked out San Francisco’s newest hotel last week- and was very impressed. The Proper Hotelis one of many new hotels opening (or soon to be opening) in the “urban pioneering” strip of Market Street near City Hall. Definitely worth a look! Follow Chris on Instagram for more photos.

Looking out at a graceful 747 wing & Greenland from the cozy bubble of a United 747 (Chris McGinnis)

As United’s 747s sail off into the sunset of a well-deserved retirement, stories of final flights are starting to pour in from readers. Here’s a heartfelt report from TravelSkills reader J.K. who was on the final 747 flight from London to San Francisco this week:

I was on the last United 747 out of London yesterday up on top in the bubble. Wonderful flight- I will especially miss the nimble handling of the plane when in flight.

United final LHR-SFO flew over the northern end of Greenland (Image: JK)

We took an unusual path across Greenland about halfway up the island from the south. As you probably know, the typical route is across the southern tip of Greenland. At any rate, on this trip, the clouds parted for a bit so we could peer down at the east coast of Greenland– the flight attendant woke me up to see the sight. There was much more snow and ice than I’ve seen flying over the southern tip.

The clouds parted for a nice clear look at Greenland on United’s final London-SFO 747 flight (Photo: JK)

As we descended into the Bay Area, the path was from the north and directly over the Peninsula. The plane had to take a tight right turn towards the ocean to line up for the typical flight path along the shore of the San Francisco Bay on the east side of the Peninsula. It felt like a small regional jet when it made its turn. It was beautiful.

You could tell that the crew was very excited to be part of this flight. It was a SFO based crew and they mentioned the passing of an era on the PA a few times. United prepared special commemorative amenity kits with “747” embroidered on the socks and printed on the eye shades.

At the end of the flight, the flight attendant mentioned that one of the passengers on the bubble deck had proposed to his wife there many years ago– the lucky guy got a cockpit tour as everyone else was disembarking.

Special 747 amenity kits on this final flight from London (Photo: JK)

All in all, a low key but memorable flight. I will miss the 747. There is nothing like climbing a flight of steps inside the plane to know that you are on a special ship.

San Francisco International’s new outdoor observation deck will be located at the end of Boarding Area G (Image: Google Maps)

Remember when we wrote about the new public, outdoor observation deck going into the space where SFO’s control tower used to be? Here’s that post.

Well, that idea was so well received that the airport will add a second deck… but this one will actually open first.

Look at the photo above and you’ll see a tan area at the end of the terminal– that’s where the new deck will be located.

The new outdoor observation deck will be located at the end of the International Terminal Boarding Area G (United/Star Alliance side). What’s really cool about this location is that you’ll be able to almost reach out and touch the noses of the A380s that dock there– look at the photo and you’ll see the telltale sign of an A380 jetway– it’s really three jetways in one, which is necessary to load and unload the big bird.

The new deck will not only offer great views of big planes, runways and the South San Francisco sign on San Bruno Mountain– airport spokesperson Doug Yakel tells TravelSkills that it will also include a “food and beverage concept.” He said that the airport is simply reconfiguring for public use a deck that is already there.

The new deck should open next year- December 2018. The public deck atop Terminal 2 (image below) won’t open for two more years– December 2019.

Rendering of Terminal 2 – see the observation deck in the lower right? (Image: SFO)

Do to its location beyond security, the Boarding Area G deck will only make sense for passengers ticketed on flights departing United’s Terminal 3 or boarding area G, unlike the Terminal 2 deck which will have pre-security access for non-ticketed passengers. For reference, see a full airport map here.

What a great place to cool your heels as you wait for your flight? All the more reason to get to the airport early, right?

The swank outdoor terrace at the new Star Alliance lounge at LAX (Chris McGinnis)

Outdoor spaces have been gaining popularity in recent years at US airport, but they’ve been built to delight members of airport clubs for the most part. For example, Delta has outdoor space at its Sky Clubs in Atlanta and New York. The Stay Alliance lounge in Los Angeles has a nice outdoor space– with fireplaces!

Earlier this year, Alaska Air hinted that it may open a new Alaska Club with an outdoor deck space atop T2 terminals, but we’ve heard less and less about that effort in recent months.

South Florida is one of the most popular fall & winter travel destinations- and fares are CHEAP (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Fares are tumbling to warm weather destinations this winter from California! If you could not take advantage of the rare fare sale to Hawaii this week, then you may want to consider a flight in the other direction– to Miami, Ft Lauderdale or Orlando. Or perhaps Floridians are looking for a nice escape to the West Coast?

American, Virgin America, JetBlue and United are all offering some remarkably low fares between the Bay Area and South Florida– as low as $251-$267 round trip! That’s an especially good deal considering you’ll be flying during the the Bay Area’s cold, wet months of January and February. These super low fares are also available in November and early December, but do not include peak holiday weeks. Sacramento is included in this sale, with one stop flights to FL. San Jose is in there, too, at $234 round trip to Orlando.

Even better, most of these ultra-low fares are not those irritating “Basic Economy” fares– they fare regular economy fares with all the benefits that come with that. Frontier is also in this sale, with insanely low fares, too, with fares as low as $152 round trip, but with lots of extra fees. See fee menu

It’s very rare to see fares under $300 for transcon flights— and this one is a whopper at about 2,500 miles in each direction.

United’s new smoked gouda cheeseburger on a square bun should appeal to the hipster palate! (Image: United)

Remember when United rolled out its inflight cheeseburger for $12 last year? It quickly became an in-flight favorite with more than 2,000 served every day.Back then we reported that first class passengers were passing up their plated lunches and instead asking for the cheeseburger served in a brown paper bag from the back of the plane.

Based on that success, United food scientists went back to the drawing board to create a new cheeseburger that it will roll out starting November 1.

Here’s how United is describing the new square-bunned, smoky-tasting cheeseburger it will serve on domestic flights of more than 3.5 hours:

“It started with the great burger you like and we found a great, new bread by, Brooklyn-based Company, “Brooklyn Bred” (you’ll recognize some of their breads if you frequent Starbucks …) and we are partnering with Sir Kensington’s – on new condiments too. The new burger patty comes from the same place as the current one – it’s all beef! The cheese is Smoked Gouda, with condiments and Sir Kensington mustard, ketchup and mayo.

We tested 25-30 variations of the cheeseburger on flights and asked customers and flight attendants for feedback. Swiss and Smoked Gouda were the final two cheese choices and Smoked Gouda won unanimously in the feedback. Research was conducted inflight over the course of one month.”

Here’s another look at the burger from United’s fall bistro-on-board menu (Image: United)

Were any TravelSkills readers on those taste-testing flights? If so, we’d like to hear from you. What did you think?

And if you are in downtown San Francisco today, THURSDAY (Oct 19), you can give the new Gouda burger a try yourself. Sir Kensington will have a food truck parked at 400 California Street (at Sansome) dishing out free burgers, fries and swag to celebrate its #BurgerOnBoard partnership with United. The truck will be downtown for 10:30 am and 1 pm, then it will head to SFO so passengers and United employees can bite into the burgers– and try out those fancy new condiments.

If you go, please take photos and sent them to us! We’ll post them here and on our social media stream.

Here’s the ingredient list for United’s new burger.

Fancy condiments? Ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard? Well, yes, according to this video from Sir Kensington’s, it’s almost artisanal. Mayonnaise is made from “certified humane free range eggs.” Ketchup comes from “fresh tomatoes, not concentrate. ”

Starting November 1, the new smoked gouda cheeseburger will replace the original one on US flights. However, the original, served on a pretzel bun, will remain on Canada-originating flights through next March.

Note that the new burger is almost 2 oz. smaller than old one — 5.95 oz. vs. 7.45– which appears to be a downgrade to those with healthy appetites. However, a spokesperson tells TravelSkills the the reduction in weight is due to the switch away from the dense pretzel roll to the lighter, thinner Brooklyn Bred bun. The weight of the meat and cheese remains the same, he said.

So give the burger a try and let us know what you think in the comments. And also let us know what you think about United’s current cheeseburger offering.

New nonstops between California and Madrid coming next spring on Iberia (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In May 2018, Spain’s Iberia will launch regular non-stop service between Madrid and San Francisco, the first ever nonstop flight between the two cities.

Oakland was the first Bay Area airport to snag nonstops to Spain last year when two airlines, Level and Norwegian kicked off nonstops to Barcelona. Both Level and Iberia are owned by IAG, the airline conglomerate that also owns British Airways.

The Iberia flights will operate only three days per week (Mon, Weds, Fri). It will use an Airbus A330-200 on the route, with business (19 seats) and economy class (269 seats) only, no premium economy or first class. Iberia says that initially, the service will only be seasonal, running May-September.

Fares for midweek trips in mid May seem high right now

While it’s now possible to buy tickets on these flights, Iberia is not offering any introductory deals as of today— fares for May trips are in the $1,400 round trip range. Typically, May is a slow month for US to Europe travel and I expect we’ll soon see sale fares dip below $1,000 for SFO-MAD roundtrips. Business class is running about $4,400 round trip.

By comparison, Oakland-Barcelona fares for next May are currently running about $531 roundtrip on Norwegian Air, plus baggage and other fees.

Air New Zealand flies a 777-300 like this on its LAX-AKL run (Photo: Air New Zealand)

When fares to New Zealand dip below $1,000, it’s time to prick up your ears. Especially if you can go when it’s winter here and summer down there!

Today United and Air New Zealand announced a very good deal for flights between San Francisco SFO or Los Angeles LAX to Auckland AKL with fares from just $945 roundtrip. (Plus when booking on United you’ll earn a cool 13,000 MileagePlus miles for this looong roundtrip.)

What’s best about this sale is the timing… you’ll travel during the dark cold days of fall winter in the US to the sunny summer shores of New Zealand in late October, November, early December, late January and almost all of February, March.

Act fast: To get the deal, you must book your trip by Thursday Oct 12.

United:

A quick check of United’s fare calendar shows tons of availability in Feb and Mar for SFO-AKL (Image: United)

Travel demand and fares typically tumble during the slower fall and winter months, and this year is no exception– we saw some remarkably low fares from United last week, and as expected, there’s more to come…

Today, Southwest Airlines kicked off the first big late fall and winter fare sale, and I expect other airlines to start matching these low fares in the next 24-48 hours. (see below for links)

So if you felt priced out of peak summer season, take a look at what Southwest has on offer during the “dead weeks” between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and into the cold, dark early winter months.

Southwest kicked it off today with with fares starting at $100 roundtrip. From there, roundtrip fares rise in several steps to around $260-$280. Many of these fares are about $30-40 cheaper than a similar sale Southwest offered in October 2016– good evidence that fares are trending downward.

While these fares are slightly higher than those we’ve seen in previous un-announced spot sales, what’s better about this is the big window for travel, which extends all the way through the end of February.

UPDATE: Several readers report finding even lower fares than the ones publicized by Southwest, so be sure to check around.

$160: SFO/OAK/LAX-Denver, Atlanta-most cities in Florida, New York LGA-Chicago,

$185: SFO/OAK/LAX to Dallas or Denver; Atlanta-Boston, Chicago, Dallas or New York

$240: Houston-Phoenix, Atlanta-Los Angeles/Las Vegas; Denver-Atlanta; New York to Chicago or New Orleans; SFO/OAK-Chicago

$280: Most transcon flights between New York, Baltimore, Atlanta or Boston and LAX, SFO/OAK, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle

There are also several good deals on flights to Mexico in the $200-$250 round trip range.

Expect other major airlines to match these low fares over the next 24 hours. (We’ll update this page with competitive matches as they roll out…see below). Keep in mind that even with matches, Southwest’s fares are cheaper if you plan on checking baggage- it offers two bags for free.

Don’t miss out on TravelSkills fare alerts! Sign up here for one email-per-day updates!

You can party on the rooftop of the new Virgin Hotel in Chicago this fall or winter (Nancy Branka)

This sale is good for flights during what’s known in the biz as the “dead weeks” when travel demand plummets to annual lows– this means that hotel and car rental costs are also at annual lows, so it’s a great time to take a cheap trip. It’s also a good time to get home and see the family if pricey peak holiday season fares keep you grounded.

For business travelers who have not been able to get out and see clients due to this year’s high fares, this is a great opportunity save by traveling when most folks are staying at home. You can take off for a quick visit just before Christmas or drop by during the cold dark months of January and February.

Chris flew to Germany and France on Lufthansa this week– and was eager to check out the unusual staircase down to a bank of lavatories in the belly of the A340 flying SFO-MUC. Seen ’em before? Stay tuned for a Trip Report!

TravelSkills reader CK feeling fresh after a United Airlines flight to Sydney, Australia

I have been a loyal United Airlines flyer for over 10 years. This loyalty has been driven primarily by the fact that I live in San Francisco – a United hub. However, I have clearly bought into the various perks that United puts in place to keep me coming back. I appreciate being able to board in Zone 1. I am happy to chill out in the Gold lounges across the globe. I am thrilled with the upgrades to business class – in fact, six of my last seven flights were upgraded. Pretty hard to beat that.

Yet, despite all the focus United has on paying extra special attention to its most loyal flyers, I was disappointed with an experience that happened on my last flight.

I was flying in business class from Sydney, Australia to San Francisco – returning from a quick week-long trip catching up with family and friends. I had been monitoring my Mileage Plus account and I knew that I was getting pretty close to hitting my 1 Million miles flown with United. For those familiar, you’ll know that United celebrates this event by awarding the flyer (and a companion) with lifetime Gold status. Meaning, forever lounge access on international flights; forever fast track; forever priority boarding. Pretty cool!

Various levels of United Million Milers- and the corresponding lifetime status awarded (Image: United)

As I was settling in for the 13-hour flight back to San Francisco, the Inflight Service Manager came over and welcomed me by name to the flight. She then noted that my name had a gold star next to it. These days, United flight attendants are using mobile devices connected to the Wi-Fi onboard to access real-time flight information, including passenger details. In this way, the flight attendant was able to click and find out why my name had been marked with a gold star. Her device confirmed for her that in the course of this flight, I would hit my 1 million miles with United. She turned to me and said, “You’re hitting your million miles. High five!”. We exchanged a high five and she then said, “I’m not too sure what that gets you…”. Nonetheless, she welcomed me again and then continued on with her work greeting other passengers.

United sends Million Milers a lucite plaque like this (Image courtesy Matthew Klint)

Now, I don’t want to be a diva about this. But I would have thought that hitting a million miles would warrant more than a high five. Further, shouldn’t the Inflight Service Manager actually know what it gets you? And even if she didn’t know, you would think that she could make it up. For example, offering a glass of champagne (okay, this one they already do as part of business class), or asking the pilot to come by and say congratulations and thank you, or even offering you a photo with the pilots in the cockpit to commemorate this milestone.

CK enjoying a few extra glasses of champers on a recent United flight

I wasn’t expecting them to have a cake in my honor, or a card with my name on it, or anything like that – since I realize the logistics of doing that are far too complicated. However, since they are now arming flight attendants with the information that a passenger has reached this milestone, they should also arm flight attendants with guidance on how to thank the passenger for all those years of loyalty.

For an airline obsessed with going the extra mile to build loyalty, this was a simple fail in my book. I’m not too sure what I was expecting and nor do I know how often passengers reach this milestone. Perhaps these days it’s no big deal given the amount people fly. In my case, not content with my high-five, I decided I would create my own celebration by enjoying many glasses of champagne over the course of those next 13 hours

–C.K.- new member to United’s Million Mile Club

So readers, what do you think? Is a high-five enough recognition for a newly minted United Million Miler? If you are a million miler, are you satisfied with the level of recognition you get (or got) from United? Please leave your comments below.

When I got off the plane late last night at SFO and called up Lyft for a ride home I was surprised when the app told me that the driver was only one minute away. I was still deep in the terminal and had to hustle to get to the curbside to keep him from waiting.

When calling up Lyft or Uber at the airport, have you noticed that your car shows up a lot faster these days? Well, there’s a good reason for that.

Starting last month both Lyft and Uber rolled out something called “Rematch” at four California airports: San Francisco International, Oakland International, Mineta San Jose International and Los Angeles International. This new functionality allows drivers to drop off AND pick up passengers simultaneously at the airport.

In the past drivers could enter airport grounds to pick up OR drop off passengers, but they could not do both. That meant passengers had to wait 5-8 minutes for the driver to get to the airport from a remote lot.

Uber and Lyft pick-ups at LAX changing (Image: Thomas Hawk/Flickr)

Officials at LAX said that they allow the practice to further reduce traffic in the central terminal area. In a press release, they said:

“Rematch works by increasing the number of persons who can be picked up during a single TNC [ridesharing] driver’s trip into LAX. Under regular TNC operating policies, TNC vehicles can enter the airport only to pick-up or drop-off passengers, but not both. For TNC companies authorized to use Rematch technology, following a drop-off trip, drivers may see a Rematch notification informing them of a passenger pick-up before exiting. If there is no Rematch notification, then the driver will exit the terminal area following his/her drop-off. Rematch requests will only be issued within the airport, and only to vehicles with confirmed drop-offs.”

Sounds like a good plan to me. Now if they can only do something about all the crowding at the designated pick up areas at LAX and SFO. It’s getting crazy congested curbside at peak hours. Have you noticed? Please leave your comments below.

Fares have plummeted for fall and winter flights as airlines battle for Golden State (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

UPDATE: This fare sale expired at midnight Weds Sept 27. Roundtrip intra-California fares are now in the $100 range. Not bad, but not $57! As competition continues in the battle for the Golden State, we expect more fare sales like this during slower fall and winter months so stay tuned to TravelSkills.

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There’s a good old fashioned fare war happening in the California Corridor this week with roundtrip fares on several airlines as low as $51 on most NorCal-SoCal routes.

It appears that the war got started when Southwest Airlines deeply discounted round trips between its big Oakland hub and southern California cities. Spirit jumped in, too with its low fares and high fees.

Then it moved across the Bay to San Francisco and San Jose, where United and Alaska Air jumped into the fray in the battle for the Golden State.

Here’s how Southwest is pushing its sale which sparked a fare war in California

How low are we talking? Here are some examples- but there are so many that you need to check yourself. I’ve posted roundtrip fares, but the sale applies to one-way fares, too.

Note that these roundtrip fares are available on the morning of Sept 27 and subject to change:

Sacramento-Los Angeles, San Diego, Ontario, Burbank on Southwest or United $57

It appears that the $57 roundtrips are only available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Fares apply to flights now through mid-February. The are not available for peak holiday season flights. We found these fares on Southwest.com and Google Flights.

Note that the lowest United fares could be low-frills basic economy– awful, but acceptable for such short flights.

When roundtrip fares between SFO and LAX go below $100 round trip, it’s time to pay attention. But just $57 round trip? Wow. $57 is less that what many of us pay for a ride to or from the airport in Lyft, Uber or taxicab.

Will you take advantage of this sale? What’s the lowest fare you’ve ever seen in the California Corridor? Leave your comments below.

Air France flies an Airbus A380 between San Francisco and Paris (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

In June, I experienced Air France’s Premium Economy class from San Francisco (SFO) to Paris- Charles De Gaulle (CDG). I was heading to Athens and exploring Crete in Greece and wanted to see Berlin also.

During summer, Air France flies both an Airbus A380 and a B777 on the SFO-CDG route. United flies a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Paris from SFO.

When pricing out various European carriers in which I could accrue miles on Alaska Airlines, I narrowed my choices to British Airways (through London), KLM (through Amsterdam), and Air France (through Paris) – all of which are Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan partners. I also included Virgin Atlantic, knowing I could earn points on Virgin America, which then would eventually transfer over into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. KLM did not offer a premium economy product and between British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Air France, Air France had the best airfare for Premium Economy.

On Air France, a round trip economy airfare was approximately $1,250 between SFO and CDG and its Premium Economy was just $400 more at $1,650. I purchased my ticket in mid-March 2017 for my June trip. I felt $200 extra each way to sit in Premium Economy was worth it.

I spent a few days in Paris, onwards to Berlin via Air France, and from Berlin I flew to Athens (via Aegean Airlines) and then flew to Crete for approximately two weeks. While I knew my experience in Premium Economy would not be the same I experienced on Singapore Airlines this past December, I was quite pleased with Air France and what they offered.

Premium economy on Air France’s A380 is on the upper deck with business in front and economy behind (Image: Air France)

My primary reason for choosing Premium Economy is the comfort of the seat and seat pitch. The other perks such as dedicated priority check-in lane, lounge access [for a fee – further explanation below], and alternative meal service options were just icing on the cake. I took Air France’s flight 83, an A380, that departs SFO in the mid-afternoon and arrives in Paris the following midmorning. The flight time was approximately 9 hours 30 minutes. (On the return, I flew an Air France B777.)

Arriving at SFO, Air France has a dedicated lane for Sky Priority, which includes Premium Economy, Business Class, and elite level SkyTeam members. Premium Economy passengers are allowed to bring two bags (a small backpack, handbag or laptop case and a wheelie bag) for a combined weight of 40 pounds. The combined weight limit for economy class passengers is 27 pounds. While Air France does charge to check luggage within Europe, you may check two bags for free on transatlantic flights. I brought a wheelie bag that met the size dimension restrictions for Air France and a backpack. Even with my laptop and my wheelie bag full, my weight was slightly more than 40 pounds, but the ticketing agent said, “that’s close enough” and allowed me to bring both bags on board the aircraft.

At SFO, KLM, Delta, and Air France share a lounge space and for $35, they allow Premium Economy passengers access. I did not have much time upon checking in and the time the flight boarded, so I did not use the lounge.

However, when I returned I had many hours in Charles DeGaulle, I was able to access the Air France/Sky Priority lounge in terminal 2E for no fee. The agents scanned my boarding pass and welcomed me in and did not ask for me to pay. Nice! [NOTE: Despite Jason’s luck at getting in the lounge for free while flying premium economy, the Air France website shows that he should have been charged.]

The food and free beverages (including alcohol), the seating, the peace and quiet, plus views of the runways and fast, free Wi-Fi made my connection between my flight from Athens to CDG and my departure to SFO very enjoyable. Here are some photos from that visit:

Air France lounge at Paris CDG terminal 2E (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

Free booze at the bar at the Air France lounge at CDG (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

A nice meal in the Air France lounge at CDG (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

Okay… back to boarding at SFO: Sky Priority members also get a dedicated security screening lane (both at SFO and CDG) which allowed me to skip the large queue for all the international passengers. Good news because at the time I cleared security, the queue was quite long. The shorter security line saved me approximately 30 minutes at the security checkpoint at SFO.

Premium Economy boards with Business Class passengers in Zone 1, and on the A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located on the upper deck. There are four rows in Premium Economy with bulkheads and curtains sectioning off the intimate cabin space. Seats are configured 2-3-2. I was seated in an aisle, 84K. (The layout in regular economy is 2-4-2 in the upper deck of the A380– on the main deck its 3-4-3.) On the B777, premium economy is configured 2-4-2.

Seated upstairs on an Air France A380 in seat 84K (Jason Vaudrey)

The cabin on the SFO-CDG leg was full, except I had the good fortune of having the one empty seat in the cabin by me. With families occupying the middle section, there was not a single person in the middle section who wanted to take advantage of having a window seat and break up their party. On the A380 (but not on the B777), there are compartment bins next to window seats located under the windows, that allow you to store a purse, laptop bag or small backpack leaving you room underneath the seat in front of you.

The seat reclines downwards and out with a leg rest that also swings out. The seat is a fixed-back shell, and your space is never intruded on by the passenger in front of you nor are you intruding into the passenger behind you. I have read mixed reviews about the fixed-back shell (which I experienced on Cathay Pacific in their Economy section on their B747 in 2011), but I found it very comfortable. The premium economy seat pitch in the cabin is a generous 38”.

There is a metal bar that serves as a foot rest that comes down, but there is no midpoint stopping mechanism that allows you to set it to the height you would like. It is either all the way up and stored, or completely down to rest your feet. Because my legs are short, my legs could not reach the foot rest. But they did have the lower portion of the seat that extended and raised providing a nice rest for your legs. I just kept the foot bar stored.

Foot rest on the Airbus A380 (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

There is also a small reading light that is right next to your shoulder that is not so bright and intrusive as the overhead lights on the panel above you. Passengers also are given noise cancelling headphones.

After we pushed back from the gate, I decided to occupy the window and take some photos of our takeoff and the beautiful views of flying over San Francisco before heading northeast to Paris.

Gorgeous view of SF out the starboard windows on an Air France A380 (Jason Vaudrey)

Inflight entertainment is available and in premium economy, the screen is larger than the one in the economy cabin. There are a variety of movies, television programs, and an in-flight map with cameras for outside views, but France’s media system felt inferior compared with Cathay Pacific, Emirates or Singapore Airlines.

After takeoff, the cabin crew passed around amenity kits and a Premium Economy menu. Meal menus come with two options: chicken in an olive tomato Catalan sauce or a Conchiglie pasta in Marinara sauce with tomatoes and olives. I chose the chicken dish.

Air France premium economy amenity kit (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

Prior to dinner, the cabin crew came around with a beverage cart offering drinks including champagne. Meals are served with plastic utensils there is no difference between the meals offered in economy versus premium economy. I was under the impression that we were being offered different meals than economy, but I observed the cabin crew, during meal service, offer the same meal options to the small Economy section that is located behind Premium Economy on the upper deck of the A380.

Dinner outbound from SFO to CDG in premium economy on Air France (Jason Vaudrey)

My dinner in SFO-CDG (above) was average in terms of taste and presentation. In addition to the plastic utensils, I was surprised to find a small plastic container of Mott’s applesauce included on the tray, along with an unappetizing, flavorless chocolate mousse. After dinner, they offered coffee, tea, and liqueurs, then dimmed the lights and I managed to sleep for four hours.

On the return from CDG to SFO, the fish with pasta was fantastic and the side items were tastier and had a better presentation. (See below)

A much better meal and presentation on the return flight from Paris to SFO on Air France in premium economy (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

In between meal service in both directions, light snacks included: mini sandwiches, fruit, and packaged cookies and crackers, which are set out in the galley for Economy and Premium Economy passengers to help themselves.

The cabin crew was very pleasant and helpful in responding to the call buttons. As with most overnight flights I have been on, whether they have been to Europe or Asia, I find the temperature of the cabin to be warmer than I would like and definitely a blanket is not required.

About two hours prior to landing in Paris, a warm breakfast was served. Again, the presentation and taste was lacking. The breakfast was not very appetizing and it included a dried-out frittata with two tater tots, a plastic dish of canned fruit and a cold blueberry muffin. See below

Mediocre breakfast served just before landing in Paris on Air France (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

Upon landing at CDG, Sky Priority members are also given a special lane to clear immigration and customs and that also saved approximately 30 minutes.

In a nutshell: Despite my disappointment with the outbound flight’s meal options, I found the seat to be comfortable, the convenience of having a dedicated check-in lane for the flight, a special lane for security, clearing customs at CDG, and the surprise of being able to access the Sky Priority lounge at CDG (for free!), made Premium Economy worth it.

The cabin crews on both flights were amazing, friendly, and worked really hard to make sure everyone was comfortable and received what they were needing. I would definitely choose Air France again when flying to Europe.

Another beautiful view out the window as we approach Paris CDG from an Air France A380 (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

I recently had the pleasure of traveling from San Francisco to Hong Kong and back in Singapore Airlines’ new Premium Economy cabin with my mom thanks to Chris and the wonderful people at Singapore Airlines.

Note: This Trip Report is written by TravelSkills reader Lacie Rhodes who won two roundtrip tickets to Hong Kong on Singapore Airlines as part of this contest. Thank you Lacie for a thorough, honest and helpful report about your Singapore Air experience and your time on the ground in Hong Kong!

SUMMARY

Highlights of the flights:

Incredibly comfortable seats due to the calf and footrest, greater pitch, and wider seat

Quiet cabin

Great entertainment options on a large and very clear screen

Lowlights of the flights:

No lounge access

Shared bathrooms with economy

Difficulty reclining seat; accessing bulkhead TV from the armrest was a comedy of errors

BOOKING

We booked our flights a little over two weeks before departing. I decided to check the Singapore Airlines website to see what Premium Economy would have cost had we been paying. Singapore Airlines typically offers an Economy Saver fare, an Economy Flexi Saver, an Economy Flexi, and a Premium Economy fare.

The various ticket types on Singapore Air (Image: Singapore Airlines)

This close to the departure date, only Economy Flexi and Premium Economy were available, so the price difference was negligible.

I took a look at what costs would look like for the Economy vs. Premium Economy on several different dates, and my overall finding was that Premium Economy was just slightly more expensive than Economy, if not cheaper when booking within a month of departure, as the Economy Saver fares were no longer available. However, if you’re booking over a month out, Premium Economy is several hundred dollars (~$600+) more expensive than the Economy Saver fare.

THE WEEK BEFORE

About a week before departing, Mamma Rhodes and I scoped out our meal options via the Book the Cook option which allows you to reserve a main course prior to the flight and has a larger number of options than you’d get onboard. We both chose the grilled chicken option for dinner. For some reason, we couldn’t select a breakfast option for the departing flight, but we could for the return flight.

Utilizing the Book the Cook option to select our meals a few days before take off (Image: Singapore Airlines)

PRE-FLIGHT

A few days later, it was go time! We arrive at the airport at 11:30pm on Sunday, July 23.

We’d decided to check bags, so we headed straight for the Premium Economy lane. There wasn’t a single person in front of us, so we breezed right through.

By the time we booked our tickets, all of the 2s except for the ones at the bulkhead had been booked up. Luckily, Singapore Airlines agreed to let us take two of the bulkhead seats, even though they are considered premier seats due to the extra legroom. Premier seats in Premium Economy. That’s a mouthful. We took seats 31H & K.

I took the aisle seat, while my mom took the “window” seat. I say “window” in quotes, because this seat doesn’t actually have a window, hence the red rating on Seatguru.

I noticed that many seats, including the D and G aisle seats had metal bars down the middle of the foot space. This wouldn’t be bothersome if you have your feet up on the footrest, but you wouldn’t be able to store a bag under the seat in front of you.

Bars in the foot space of many of the seats (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

I took my seat and immediately decided to test every widget.

Highlights of the seats:

38’’ seat pitch

8’’ recline

19.5’’seat width

Calf and leg rests – While most of the seats have a calf rest and separate foot rest, the bulkhead has a combined calf and foot rest

13.3’’ entertainment screen

Personal reading lights

Multiple chargers for electronics

Noise canceling headphones

Separate arm rests

Premium Economy bulkhead seats from SFO to HKG (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

Overall, our bulkhead seats were incredible. There was tons of room and because there is no bathroom or galley near the bulkhead, people don’t end up congregating there, which I’ve always found to be an issue with bulkhead seats. I would highly recommend these seats if you’re flying premium economy as the people in other seats looked quite a bit more cramped.

Enjoying the calf and footrest in the bulkhead of the Premium Economy Cabin on Singapore Airlines from SFO to HKG (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

My only complaints about the seats themselves are that getting the seat to recline and getting the screen out of the armrest was way more challenging than it should have been. To get the seat to recline, I had to put my footrest up and have my feet fully planted on the ground to get enough leverage to push the seat back.

Shortly after take-off, flight attendants came around with water bottles and amenity kits containing socks and a toothbrush and toothpaste. Nothing special, and I left mine onboard unused.

Amenity Kit (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

I turn into a pumpkin by 10:00pm, so the 1:15am takeoff was pretty brutal for me. Let’s not even talk about the fact that I had just left my bachelorette party weekend hours before the flight. Needless to say, I was not feeling my best.

Though all I wanted to upon taking my seat was sleep, I didn’t think you’d find a post about how I slept for 14 hours to be particularly entertaining or useful. It would have gone something like this:

Step 1: Take Tylenol PM

Step 2: Secure neck pillow

Step 3: Wake up in Hong Kong

For the benefit of the TravelSkills readers, I persevered. 🙂

In an attempt to stay awake, I decided to peruse my entertainment options. The screens were large, the picture was high quality, and I had more options than I could possible take advantage of.

About two hours into the flight the first meal service began. Though a sticker had been placed on my seat with my Book the Cook selection, they initially offered me the standard inflight options and I had to remind them I’d ordered the grilled chicken.

The appetizer was smoked chicken with roasted corn and borlotti bean salad, the main course was my previously selected grilled chicken, there was a roll and butter, and dessert was mango mousse. Dinner was by far the standout meal.

A dinner of grilled chicken (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

It was much more similar to an Economy meal than a Business Class meal, but the food on Singapore Airlines is always a cut above typical airline food. With the exception of the chicken and corn appetizer, which I just could not get behind, the meal was perfectly fine.

The Premium Economy cabin is located behind business class, and in front of regular old Economy. However, the cabin shares the restroom with Economy. As someone who makes it my personal mission in life to stay hydrated on long flights, I would have loved to have a bathroom dedicated to the Premium Economy cabin to minimize wait time, but I guess you can’t have it all!

Finally, it was time for some post-bachelorette party relaxation. You know what happened next. Step 1: secure neck pillow….

Given the small size of the cabin, it was incredibly quiet the entire time making it very easy to sleep.

I woke up right at snack time where I was able to choose between a vegetarian tortilla wrap with roasted eggplant and sundried tomato hummus spread or a jerk chicken sandwich. I selected the vegetarian wrap, had about half a bite, and trashed it. Not their finest dish.

An unappetizing eggplant wrap (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

About two hours before arrival, breakfast was served. I had the omelette, which was slightly better than a typically Economy breakfast.

Breakfast was an omelet with fruit and yogurt (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

About 13 hours later. We arrived in Hong Kong. After clearing immigration, we headed to baggage claim. Given that our bags had been given a priority tag, they were already circling the carousel by the time we got there.

HONG KONG

Next, we headed to our hotel.

As I mentioned, our flight left SFO at 1:15 am on Monday. This had us arriving in Hong Kong around 6:30 am. I typically avoid flights like this at all costs, because then you’re stuck with all of your stuff, tired from a long flight and time change, with no hotel room until about 2-3PM. Between the bachelorette party and flight, I knew I’d be exhausted by the time we arrived, and that the thought of hitting the town right away would be miserable, so we decided to bite the bullet and got a hotel room for Monday night so we knew we’d be able to rest as soon as we got in.

We took a taxi to the Hyatt Tsim Tsa Shui, where we stayed for the duration of the trip. Thanks to the combination of points I had from my Chase Sapphire Reserve card and an award night I had from my Hyatt credit card, the entire stay was free.

Five days later, it was time to head home. Our return flight was scheduled to depart HKG at 11:30pm.

Once we checked in and passed through security, we decided to head over to the Plaza Premium Lounge, which we had access to courtesy of the Priority Pass I have via Chase Sapphire Reserve card. I swear, nobody asked me to promote the CSR, I just really love it!

Entryway of the Plaza Premium lounge at HKG (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

Lots of seating and not many people in the Plaza Premium lounge at HKG (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

We were told the boarding time was now 12:05 am and estimated departure was 12:15 am. I’m pretty sure anyone who has ever been on a plane knew that it would be impossible for the entire plane to board in 10 minutes, and I found the lack of a realistic departure time frustrating.

The board showed an estimated boarding time of 12:05 am and and estimated departure time of 12:15 am (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

At 12:05am we boarded the plane. We took off around 12:45 am.

We had the same seats as we did on the way to Hong Kong, and we enjoyed them once again.

This time, I pre- selected the cashew chicken for dinner, and vermicelli and dim sum for breakfast.

Dinner was served at around 1:30 am. I wasn’t very hungry so just had a few bites. It wasn’t as good as my grilled chicken but was a decent option.

Dinner of cashew chicken (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

I then slept and woke up for snacks and a movie about five hours later.

There was a basket full of snacks including sandwiches, chips, chocolate bars, and granola bars in the galley for Economy and Premium Economy passengers.

Snack baskets in the galley (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

Breakfast was served two hours prior to landing. They definitely have some kinks to work out around Book the Cook as I was initially served the wrong meal despite having a sticker with my selections clearly placed on my seat.

I had the dim sum, though was supposed to have a noodle and dim sum dish. The steward brought the other dish about 20 minutes into the meal service, by which time I’d already eaten my first meal, so turned I turned it down.

Dim Sum for breakfast. Not the dish I ordered. (Photo: Lacie Rhodes)

Before I knew it, we were home sweet SFO.

All in all, Premium Economy is a significant upgrade from Economy, and is worth the price of admission. The real draw here is the more spacious and comfortable seats, in a small and therefore quiet cabin. To me, everything else from the amenity kits to using Book the Cook are just gimmicks with some marginal benefits.

I think I can sum up our experience with one anecdote. It was the flight from SFO to HKG. We were about 2 hours from landing and breakfast was about to be served. My mom woke up, looked at me and said “Did I miss dinner?” to which I responded, “Yes, Mom, it was 9 hours ago.” So, if you want 9 hours of undisturbed sleep for a fraction of a Business Class ticket, Singapore Airlines Premium Economy is the way to go!

Thanks again to Chris and Singapore Airlines for selecting me for this trip! I am confident that I’ll be telling the story of how I won a trip to Hong Kong for the rest of my life, and am so grateful to have been able to share this experience with my mom. I would have gladly sat in the lavatory the entire flight for the opportunity to take such an incredible trip with her, but Premium Economy was far more luxurious.

Have you started the application process for Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program, but had trouble scheduling the required personal interview? With longer lines for international travelers entering the U.S., CBP has launched a new program aimed at speeding up the enrollment process.

We’re constantly getting emails from readers who are shocked at the long CBP lines they encounter when flying into major airports like San Francisco International. The Global Entry trusted traveler program, which lets members use self-service kiosks and avoid inspection lines, is looking more attractive than ever as passenger numbers keep growing.

Customs and Border Protection actually has a website where you can track how long it’s been taking international arrivals to clear CBP inspections at major U.S. airports.

The travel industry had been expecting a “Trump slump” in international arrivals this year due to uncertainty about the new administration’s attitude toward foreign visitors, but so far it hasn’t happened – instead, international arrivals have been increasing. And low international air fares, especially to Europe, have sent more Americans packing for trips abroad as well.

How does it work? The program is designed for individuals who have been conditionally approved for Global Entry pending a personal interview at a Global Entry Enrollment Center. Instead of scheduling an interview, the traveler arriving at an Enrollment on Arrival airport can now finish the interview requirement during a CBP primary inspection.

“Upon arrival, travelers will be directed to a primary booth designated specifically for Enrollment on Arrival,” CBP said. “A CBP officer will conduct both the primary processing and Global Entry interview and collect the traveler’s biometrics to complete the enrollment. The traveler will then be cleared for entry into the United States and will be a Global Entry member.”

The application fee for a five-year membership in Global Entry is $100, with applications submitted online. Applicants who pass the background check then must schedule an interview at any of 100 enrollment centers – or now via Enrollment on Arrival. You can find out more about Global Entry here. (Note that many high-end credit cards like American Express Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve reimburse cardholders for these $100 fees. See our credit card tab above!)

Global Entry kiosks are currently available at 53 U.S. airports and 15 Preclearance locations in other countries. The program, which has more than 4 million members, also includes TSA PreCheck privileges.

The trendy new Proper Hotel opens in San Francisco’s Mid-Market area in August with “bunk rooms” (Image: Proper Hotels)

It sounds crazy, but very few new-from-the-ground-up hotels have opened in booming San Francisco since the InterContinental by Moscone Center opened in 2008. The city’s “newest” boutique property, the perennially pricey (and popular) Hotel Vitale is now nearly 12 years old. About the only “new” hotel that’s opened recently is the Hampton Inn on a seedy stretch of Mission Street.

That nearly decade-long drought of new hotels will end in a splash with at least four new hotels opening in the next year (and up to 12 more on the way) according to a real estate story in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle.

The newspaper points out that none of these properties fall into the hotel behemoth category that dominated the city’s hotel scene in the 80s and 90s with the opening of giants like the 1,362 room Marriott Marquis (known locally as “the jukebox”.) Instead, these are newer, smaller more “neighborhoody” hotels built near tech hubs, and focused on the younger millennial set. Keep in mind that some of the neighborhoods where these hotels are popping up are where the city’s homeless problem has been most intractable. It remains to be seen if the new projects will change that.

Here’s what’s new:

The 159-room, new-from-the-ground-up Hotel Via opened last month across the street from AT&T Park in the South Beach/Mission Bay area of town, a few blocks southeast of the financial district and Embarcadero area. In keeping with the tech focus, guests’ mobile phones can double as room keys. Rooms have Illy coffee makers and mini-fridges and wi-fi is free. Rates start at around $300 per night.

On August 14, the new San Francisco Proper will open in the gritty Mid-Market Street area, which as been enjoying a bit of a renaissance as big tech companies like Twitter, Uber, Square, Dolby and several new residential high rises have moved in. The triangular flatiron shaped hotel inhabits the shell of the old, dilapidated Renoir Hotel, and will have four restaurants and bars, including a new venue on the roof. Rates will start in the $400 per night range– but cheaper “bunk rooms” (yes, with bunk beds) will start at around $250. More about rooms here.

Later in 2017 or 2018, a new-from-the-ground-up, 196-room Virgin Hotel will open South of Market on Fourth & Folsom Streets near Moscone Center– and eventually across the street from the new Central Subway Station which opens in two years. I don’t have a good image of the building exterior yet, but below is a rendering of what the rooftop deck will look like. Currently, there is no firm opening date (only “this winter”), and there’s no hotel website. To get a good idea of the vibe of Virgin hotels where rooms are called “chambers,” check out the Virgin Chicago website.

Also opening later this year: the new Yotel San Francisco at Market and 7th Streets in the mid-Market area. The hotel is built in the historic Grant building, which survived the 1906 earthquake. What I have heard about the Yotel brand is that those who’ve stayed at its New York City property don’t mind the capsule-like, but cleverly designed rooms (referred to as “cabins”) since it usually offers such good rates. At the SF property, guests can check in via kiosk and rooms sport monsoon rain showers, adjustable mood lighting and copious power outlets. Plus guests will enjoy great views from, you guessed it, a rooftop lounge. Another brand new Yotel just opened in Boston’s Seaport district last month. (Rates for the SF Yotel not yet available.)

Here’s a look at a Yotel “premium queen” Cabin in its brand new Boston property- intro rates around $120 (Photo: Yotel)

UPDATED INFO: We previously wrote about a new Marriott Hotel that was reportedly opening this winter in the Mission Bay – China Beach area near AT&T Park. Upon conversing with the architectural firm involved in the project, we found that this hotel is hoping to break ground this year, but will not be open for two more years. It is expected to be a full service, four star hotel, but we still don’t know which Marriott brand flag it will fly.

This is just the beginning of the boom– the Chronicle found 12 more hotels (totaling 4,000 rooms) working their way through the city’s labyrinthine approvals process. (Including a new Waldorf-Astoria near the Transbay Center.) Most of these are slated for the once-blighted, now hot SOMA or South of Market area of the city.

New flights to Mexico City and Guadalajara from Bay Area airports are bringing in some great fares– perfectly timed for summer vacation. (But you need to act fast.)

Update: This fare war is spreading to Los Angeles airports where we are seeing similar low fares.

Both cities are fun cosmopolitan capitals with much to see and do– rich history, robust food scenes, nice hotels and even nicer people. Plus, you’ll find cool weather due to high altitudes- Guadalajara’s elevation is 5,140 feet above sea level. Mexico City is even higher at 7,350 feet.

In early August, Alaska Airlines jumps into the SFO-Mexico City market, and it’s offering introductory fares of just $320 round trip. That’s quite a good deal during peak summer travel season. Volaris and Aeromexico are offering similar $300-ish roundtrip fares. First class fares on Alaska are $637.

UPDATE! Today Alaska Air launched a one day fare sale, with fares as low as $240 round trip between the Bay Area and Mexico City! And this is during peak summer travel season in August. Check this out… only good today, Tuesday, July 11 til midnight.

This week Aeromexico kicks off new nonstops between San Jose and Guadalajara. It’s an increasingly crowded route– Aeromexico’s nonstop joins Alaska Airlines and Volaris (a Mexican low-fare carrier) on the route.

San Jose International welcomes a new nonstop from Guadalajara, one of many new destinations added this year. (Photo: SJC)

All that competition means cheap fares from all Bay Area airports– as low as $291 round trip from SFO or SJC. First class fares are relatively cheap, too, at just $566 round trip.

UPDATE: Volaris has dropped fares on SJC-GDL or SFO-GDL to as low as $221 round trip. Delta SkyMiles members should keep an eye on those Aeromexico fares- you’ll only earn 50% mileage (about 1,500 miles) on the cheap fares- but hey something’s better than nada.

Note: Fares were available on Google Flights on Monday, July 10 and subject to change.

And if you are looking for even better deals, keep an eye on these routes as we enter the slower fall months. More competition could lead to lower fares.

I flew down to Mexico City for a BBC story four years ago and fell in love with the place. I wrote: “Despite headlines about drug-related violence along its northern border, Mexico’s capital is quietly evolving into a modern, cosmopolitan and convenient city that will surprise visitors who arrive with pre-conceived notions. For business travelers with adventurous palates, Mexico City’s vibrant dining scene recently had the Wall Street Journal wondering if it could be “the world’s greatest food city”. Its dynamic and diverse stock of hotels also provides something for every business travel budget, from sparkling five-star skyscrapers to minimalist or historical luxury boutiques.”

I’m ready to go back! Have you or would you fly to Mexico City or Guadalajara?

I’ve been to Honolulu several times and have always enjoyed flying Hawaiian Airlines. After a two-year break from visiting Oahu, I bought a roundtrip Economy ticket in mid-December for $588. I flew from SFO to HNL in June and got to check out some of the new features on their Airbus A330.

(This Trip Report is written by TravelSkills’ very own Kim Grimes.)

Sleek Premium Cabin seats (Image: Kim Grimes)

Chris contacted Hawaiian Airlines in advance and arranged for me to get on the plane before boarding to snap some photos. The crew seemed to be in a bit of a rush but they were very kind and welcoming. I checked out the sleek new lie-flat seats in the Premium Cabin first.

The lie-flat seats are in sets of two (2-2-2) with nature-inspired dividers in the center that you can pull up out of the arm rest for privacy. The reclining wheel in the arm rest allows for passengers to lie flat or find the perfect spot for them anywhere between flat and upright. When the seat is completely flat, it connects to the footrest efficiently adding length for comfort.

The modern design includes plenty of in-seat power with two USB ports and an AC port in each seat. Passengers in the premium cabin are given tablets to enjoy in-flight entertainment which they can place on the adjustable retractable tablet stand in the arm rest.

After taking a moment to enjoy the lie-flat seat, I moved on to check out the Extra Comfort seats. These seats are similar to the Economy seats in appearance, but they have extra leg room and come with a few additional amenities.

When I tried Extra Comfort, I had plenty of room to stretch out my legs with 36″ pitch – or more in the bulkhead (Image: Kim Grimes)

Extra Comfort seats have a pitch of 36 inches which was more than enough room for me, at 5’4’’, to fully extend my legs while seated. In addition to the spare room to stretch out Extra Comfort passengers receive benefits like priority boarding and access to a priority security line at select airports, including SFO.

An aisle seat in Economy class: 37C (Image: Kim Grimes)

After I took photos of the premium and Extra Comfort seats, it was just about time to board. I went back to the gate to meet my family and then made my way to the Economy seats noting the nice and relaxing Hawaiian music that played throughout the cabin. I always claim the window seat and got comfortable in 37A with my sister seated next to me in 37B.

I was feeling a little stressed after guiding my family through the airport, so I really appreciated watching Hawaiian musicians play calming and welcoming songs on the seatback entertainment screen before takeoff. Hawaiian Airlines offers an unlimited television and film package for $7.99, but I never pay for in-flight entertainment and opted to flip through the Hawaiian Airlines magazine. The magazine is called Hana Hou! meaning “Encore!” They always have interesting stories about local businesses, Hawaiian culture, and art. I particularly enjoyed its interview with the creator of Hawaiian Ola noni beverages that I love drinking for an energy boost.

View from the back of economy cabin on a Hawaiian Air A330 (Image: Kim Grimes)

For the morning meal service, Economy class passengers received a hot breakfast sandwich, fruit, and a cookie from the Honolulu Cookie Company. I decided to have some guava juice with my meal as well.

I ate the fruit first which was nothing spectacular, but it was refreshing. The sandwich was really heavy and tasted mostly like buttery biscuit to me. I’m not usually keen on biscuits, but I ate the whole thing hoping that it would help me fall asleep; it definitely did.

My favorite part of the meal was the chocolate chip macadamia cookie. I love these cookies from the Honolulu Cookie Company but rarely buy them because I find them to be a bit pricey, so I was excited to enjoy one for free on the flight.

After the meal service, I tuned in to one of the free Hawaiian music radio stations and dozed off.

Koloa rum punch was so good that I had to stop and get my own bottle later. (Image: Kim Grimes)

I woke up a little over an hour before we landed just in time to receive my complimentary snack and cocktail. The cocktail was Hawaiian rum punch made by the Koloa Rum Company. The premixed cocktail had Koloa white rum from Kauai, lilikoi (passionfruit), orange, guava puree, and locally sourced cane sugar. I was worried it would be too sweet for me, but it was actually really well-balanced and delicious with my Sweet Maui Onion Hawaiian Chips.

Landing around noon at HNL (Image: Kim Grimes)

Although we left SFO a little late, we landed in Honolulu on time at 11:45am. Overall, our flight was smooth and enjoyable as all of my flights with Hawaiian Airlines have been. I really appreciate the effort that they put in to making passengers feel comfortable and welcomed.

Now let’s take a look at my return flight:

Lunch service as presented by FA with coupon for free custom Shutterfly photo book (Image: Kim Grimes)

Two weeks later, my family and I returned to SFO with Hawaiian Airlines. On this flight, I was really looking forward to the afternoon meal service since the airline usually serves a stir-fry and rice which is one of my favorite comfort meals in economy class.

On this flight, I had a chicken and vegetable stir-fry with white rice, coleslaw, and a cookie from Honolulu’s La Tour Bakehouse. Complimentary red or white wine was offered with this meal, but I opted for a POG (passion orange guava) juice instead.

Returning to the Bay Area at sunset (Image: Kim Grimes)

I fought the urge to fall asleep and stayed up for the majority of this flight reading and glancing out the window. I love when I can catch the sunrise or sunset during a flight and was happy to see the sun setting shortly before we landed at SFO. It was a beautiful way to end a long vacation.

San Jose International welcomes a new Aeromexico nonstop from Guadalajara, with a wet water cannon salute. SJC-GDL also served by Alaska and Volaris. Nonstop August fares around $300 roundtrip! (Photo: SJC)

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

Last week new video footage of the Asiana 214 crash at SFO in July 2013 emerged. It’s tough to watch, especially at about 2:14 when the camera zooms in and you see passengers begin to escape after what feels like a very long delay. Dazed and confused, many of them remain close to the plane despite the risk of explosion. Look closely and you’ll see many who escaped with their lives and their rollaboard suitcases. It’s very sad that three passengers died, and miraculous that many more did not perish.

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

A Norwegian Air 787 Dreamliner parked at Oakland International Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Norwegian Air announced yet another another disruptive move in the transatlantic air travel market today.

Starting in Spring 2018, it will launch new nonstops from Oakland (4/10), Newark (2/28) and Boston (5/2) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Checking today for flights next spring, we are finding roundtrips in the $400-$500 range, which is a very good deal for nonstops between US cities and Paris.

Norwegian also announced that it would bring its low fares to two new U.S. cities next spring: Austin (3/27) and Chicago (3/25) with nonstops to London-Gatwick.

With these additions, the Scandinavian low-fare powerhouse will soon fly nonstop between 15 U.S. and 13 European cities.

This is exciting news, but it’s important to remember a few things about Norwegian: First, don’t think those low fares don’t come with some steep fees. For example, checking a bag between Oakland and Barcelona will run you an additional $130 roundtrip– double that ($260 roundtrip) if you change planes. To reserve a specific seat, you’ll pay a whopping $90 roundtrip on transatlantic flights. See Norwegian’s fee schedule here.

You should also know that Norwegian rarely operates its flights on a daily basis— many U.S.-Europe flights only run 3-5 times per week. If for some reason your flight is delayed or canceled, you are in for quite a long wait for the next Norwegian flight. It will not put you on another carrier’s flight during irregular operations. For more on this, see our post The Problem with Low-Fare Flying.

In addition, Norwegian Air is not part of any of the big three airline alliances, so there is no opportunity to earn or burn frequent flyer flyer miles with U.S. partner airlines.

Despite these drawbacks, Norwegian is growing like crazy in the U.S. It flies new Boeing 787 Dreamliners on its current transatlantic runs– and generally earns high marks from travelers. (See Norwegian’s Dreamliner seatmap on Seatguru here.) For those who want a little separation from the vacationing masses, it offers a nice premium cabin at a higher price point with fewer fees.

See Norwegian Air press release about new flights here and check fares or book flights here.

What about you? Have you flown Norwegian yet? Would you? Please leave your comments below!

Sometimes you need to call in special ops to get out of a travel bind (Image: Redpoint Resolutions)

It’s time. Time to unload that big bank of frequent flyer miles you’ve been sitting on and take the trip of a lifetime. Around the world in business class. Maybe a big safari in Africa, a treacherous trip to Antarctica, or a five-star train trip and trek across India and Nepal.

That all sounds grand, but who would come to your rescue if something went wrong on that big, far-flung trip? Who would come pluck you out of a civil war in Africa or send in a medical team if your heart flutters and you’re short of breath as your Zodiac boat approaches the shores of Antarctica?

That’s something you should think about when planning a big bucket list trip.

Maybe you’re on a trek in Nepal when an earthquake hits like Jerry Rhodes and Mel Kaida were– stranded near Mount Everest after a 7.8 magnitude quake hit in 2015. Faced with what appeared to be no way out, they called in Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance, which found a way to extract their group using a Russian military helicopter. “It was like an angel coming down, it was amazing,” Kaida said recalling their experience in this video:

Redpoint Resolutions is a unique medical and travel risk security company owned and operated by special operations veterans and Stanford-affiliated physicians. It works with large organizations as well as individual travelers who need someone to call when trips go awry in far away places. Based in the Bay area, it now protects nearly 10 million travelers around the world.

I recently had a very interesting conversation with Redpoint Vice President Tom Bochnowski, about founding this unusual company how its rescue operations work.

How’d you get started in this business?

I started my professional career after college as an officer in the U.S. Army. After leaving the Army, I earned my MBA from Dartmouth College. I returned to Silicon Valley (where I grew up) and after working for technology companies for a couple of years, I realized I needed to be part of an organization that made a significant difference in people’s lives every day with a similar sense of shared purpose that I felt in the military. So, I left my technology job and started a security consulting firm with several other military veterans that eventually evolved into Redpoint Resolutions and our consumer travel insurance programs: Ripcord and Cavalry.

I’m incredibly honored to be surrounded by such talented people on our team, from paramedics, nurses, physicians and military veterans, to travel specialists, marketing professionals and client service experts. Working with this team and helping people when they’re having one of the worst days of their lives is incredibly exhilarating and gives me an undeniable sense of purpose.

What’s the most unusual or memorable rescue your company has completed?

One of them has to be the rescue last summer of one of our clients on a safari in the Central African Republic who had come under fire from members of the Lord’s Resistance Army. He was taking a break when soldiers started firing automatic weapons at him and at his Land Cruiser. As he escaped in his shot-up vehicle, we organized an extraction team, and ultimately flew him out of a bush airstrip on a twin-prop plane.

The most remote one would probably be our medical evacuation earlier this year of a client experiencing heart problems in Antarctica. We dispatched a critical care paramedic to meet him at his boat off an island by the Antarctic Peninsula, and medically evacuated him home to Ohio.

As far as mountain rescues go, it’s hard to choose the most dramatic one between frostbite cases at Mount Everest’s Camp 2 (21,000 ft. elevation), high-altitude pulmonary edema on Kilimanjaro, injured legs on K2, etc. We do a lot of those and they all involve helicopters rescuing climbers from potentially life-threatening situations.

What is Redpoint Resolutions, and why should frequent travelers know about it?

Both Ripcord and Cavalry combine elite medical and security evacuation services with travel insurance benefits such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, lost baggage, primary medical expense coverages, and will evacuate clients to their home hospital of choice when hospitalized (unlike standard travel insurance plans, neither requires the foreign treating physician to approve evacuation based on medical necessity). The difference between the two is that Ripcord also includes rescue from the point of injury or illness in remote areas. That is, if you’re hurt on a mountaintop, for example, or injured on a motorcycle in the middle of the desert, or on safari in Africa, our medical or security teams will come to get you. It’s very different than how standard travel insurance works.

How are Ripcord and Cavalry different from other travel insurance policies?

Other travel insurance policies will typically evacuate you for a medical condition if it is deemed medically necessary by the foreign treating physician, covering your transport to the “nearest appropriate hospital.” Neither Ripcord nor Cavalry requires the local treating physician to authorize evacuation based on medical necessity. Instead Ripcord and Cavalry empower the client to make care decisions on where they want to be treated. Ripcord is for remote travel, Cavalry is for travelers going to developed locations with access to local paramedics, ambulances and hospitals.

How much does it cost?

It varies, but an individual, annual Ripcord medical evacuation plan is $312, while an annual Cavalry medical evacuation program is $265. There are short-term policies for single trips starting at $95 for Cavalry, $115 for Ripcord. Comprehensive travel insurance policies are calculated based on the dollar value of the trip you’d like to cover and your age. For more information see this.

Disclosure: Thank you for reading TravelSkills! We will periodically send out messages like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel. Our sponsors’ support, and yours, help us keep TravelSkills a free publication.

Cruising into Lihue Airport on Kauai from SFO on United will get easier with two flights per day (Chris McGinnis)

United is making a big grab for the lucrative Hawaii market, adding 11 new nonstops from the mainland, and adding even more lie-flat seats on overnight flights. It is also making its Denver hub a major, year-round gateway to Hawaii from the midwest.

More flights usually results two things important to frequent travelers: lower fares and more opportunities to redeem points to get to paradise. However, demand for Hawaii trips has increased so much recently that the additional capacity might not result in significantly lower fares or redemptions. Time will tell. However, it never hurts to set up fare alerts and keep an eye out for cheaper mileage redemptions in light of this announcement.

With the addition of the 11 flights, United says that it now offers the most flights between the mainland and Hawaii than any other carrier.

But flights to Hawaii are not cheap! Looking at August roundtrips in United economy class, Chicago-Maui and Denver-Maui are running a cool $1,400. Houston-Maui is $930. Cheapest SFO-Maui is $460, and LAX-Maui is about $570.

United adding more lie-flat seats on Hawaii flights (Chris McGinnis)

Starting this summer, all overnight flights between Hawaii and Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark and Washington will have lie-flat seats up front. (Hawaiian Airlines is now offering lie-flat seats on some of its mainland-to-Hawaii flights. American recently added lie-flat seats on flights between Honolulu, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Delta flies lie-flat between ATL and Honolulu. United has had lie-flat seats on its SFO-Lihue 757 flights for a while now, but it appears that those flights, as well as most all non-Honolulu flights will be be served with 737s from SFO.)

A Norwegian Air 787 Dreamliner parked at Oakland International Airport (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Norwegian Air today announced it will launch flights from Los Angeles, Newark and Oaklandto ROME starting later this year and into 2018. This is the first time the Bay Area will see nonstops to Italy since Alitalia’s SFO-Rome service ended many years ago.

Rome-Fiumicino will be Norwegian’s seventh long-haul European destination from the U.S. following Barcelona, which will launch this June; Paris; London; and the three Scandinavian capitals of Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm.

Norwegian says that one way fares from all three cities to Rome will start as low as $189-$229— but keep in mind that you will rarely find fares that low to return, and you’ll also be faced with a panoply of fees for checked bags, seat assignments, etc.

However, checking today, we found a fare for just $419.80 (including taxes) for a March 2018 round trip between Oakland and Rome. That’s a great deal that will not last.

Norwegian will fly its brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliners offering both an Economy and Premium cabin on the route. Norwegian’s premium service is a good low-cost option for business travelers– especially those from the Bay Area who’d prefer to take a nonstop flight.

Flights from Oakland International Airport to Romewill launch on February 6, 2018, with a twice weekly service. Fares from Oakland start from $229 one-way, including taxes. Premium fares from Oakland start from $719 one-way including taxes.

Flights from Newark Liberty International Airport will launch on November 9, 2017, and operate four times a week until the early February 2018 when it increases to six times per week. Economy launch fares to Rome from Newark start as low as $189 one-way, including taxes. The lowest fares in Norwegian’s Premium Cabin to Rome from Newark start at $539 one-way including taxes.

Service from Los Angeles International Airport will launch on November 11, 2017, and operate twice weekly until February, when it becomes a thrice weekly service. Fares from Los Angeles start from $229 one-way, including taxes. Premium fares from Los Angeles start from $719 one-way including taxes.

Economy class seating on Norwegian

All fares are now available for sale on Norwegian’s website. Additionally, the website’s low fare calendar displays the lowest available fares to all of Norwegian’s destinations.

Have you flown Norwegian yet? How was it? Will you consider it for your next flight to Rome?

TravelSkills’ 10 most popular posts over the last week (descending order):

1 Russian mystery plane at SFO – this post was picked up by Drudge Report and snagged 150,000 views on Thursday! Still no official word on what exactly all these Antonov planes are doing at SFO- but there’s plenty of speculation in the comments!

Have you been to the new African American History Museum on Washington, DC yet? Read about how a trip there took editor Chris McGinnis on a journey through time to his adolescence and reminded him of a guardian angel! From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Departing SFO last week, I peered out my window at a rare site: a gigantic Russian Antonov An-124 cargo jet parked across the runways from airport terminals. I thought it was a one-time event, but I began hearing more about it from TravelSkills readers who have seen one or two of the behemoths over the last two weeks at SFO.

I reached out to airport officials at SFO to inquire about the planes, but only received vague replies: “Yes, we’ve had these Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft making semi-regular appearances over the past week, at times having two here simultaneously. None are here now, but the next one comes in tonight.”

When I asked why they are here, what they are transporting and where they are going, the airport said, “They’re coming from various locations, all for the same Bay Area company. I don’t have details on who…”

I’ve seen Antonovs at SFO before, but it’s been a very rare occurrence. What’s new now is that there are so many at SFO – sometimes two a day.

So I did a little digging around and found out that aviation geeks are equally interested in what’s up with these big birds making regular appearances at SFO.

On Tuesday, the excellent flight tracking site/app FlightRadar24 shows one of the planes (VI4819) departing Leipzig, Germany for Milan on April 28. From Milan, it traveled to Goose Bay (Newfoundland), Canada, and from there it flew to SFO. From SFO, it flew to Kinston, North Carolina, (near the Atlantic coast), which boasts one of the longest runways in that part of the country. Update: From Kinston, it flew to Nantes, France.

Walking my dogs last night, believe it or not, I spotted another Antonov flying over the city en route to SFO. I fired up FlightRadar24 and found that this one (VI3022, RA82077) originated in Tokyo and stopped over in Anchorage before arriving at SFO around 8 pm.

Airliners.net has a new string inquiring about the Antonov at SFO where one user speculates that the planes are in the Bay Area to pick up Teslas. (More on that here.)

A planespotter near SFO was surprised at his luck seeing the Antonov and shot this video of it on April 24:

Compared to an Airbus A380, the Antonov An-124 is slightly smaller: It is 226 feet long vs the A380 at 238 feet. And its wingspan is a bit narrower: 241 feet for the An124 vs 261 for the Airbus A380.

The Antonovs at SFO are owned by Volga-Dnepr Airlines, which according to its website is: “The world leader in the specialis [sic] market of oversize and super-heavy cargo transportation…Our customers include governmental and commercial organizations, including leading global businesses in the oil and gas, energy, aerospace, agriculture and telecommunications industries as well as the humanitarian and emergency services sectors.”

Here’s more on the Antonov An-124, which can carry a payload of a whopping 150 tons! The Antonov website says, “The AN-124 has been used to deliver 90 ton hydraulic turbines, the Liebherr large dimension mobile crane, the USA Euclid mine truck, the fuselage of the Tu-204 passenger aircraft, a 109 ton locomotive, General Electric GE90 aircraft engines, various combat vehicles, Lynx anti-submarine helicopters, a spaceship in its container and other unique cargoes. It rescued refugees and people suffered from natural disasters, transported tanks and Christmas trees, elite fast horses and cruise yachts, concert equipment and reconnaissance aircraft, banknotes and pure gold. The list of its cargo is endless – in this sense it can be called as the most universal airplane in the whole history of aviation.”

Have you seen this plane at SFO? Know anything about it? Please leave your comments, tips or speculation below.

Last week Virgin Atlantic launched new 3x per week “Man-Fran” nonstops between SFO and Manchester, UK. Lowest fares for May $659 roundtrip. Virgin says “Man-Fran will build on a shared psyche between these two northern cities, both famous for their wet weather, trams, music, LBGT and street art scenes; one built on a heritage of silicon and the other rebuilding itself as a British tech hub” (Photo: Virgin)

I took a ride in a Virgin America jet for a look at Virgin Galactic Spaceship 2 over Marin County in 2011. Scroll down to see video (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This week we had to say goodbye to Virgin America. Sad, yes, but I feel like much of what we loved about it is in good hands with Alaska Airlines.

As a San Francisco-based travel writer, I’ve had a front seat to see and report on every move Virgin made in its short, beautiful life. So I’m a bit nostalgic this week, too.

With Virgin America very much on the brain this week, I’m reminded of one of the most spectacular flights I’ve ever taken. Come on along for a thrilling ride!

On a bright spring day in 2011, Virgin America was celebrating the opening of its brand new Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport. In typical Virgin style, it was a big to-do. Richard Branson was there. So was Buzz Aldrin and his wife. California Lt Governor Gavin Newsom, too. There were also plenty of airport dignitaries and a handful of lucky media, like TravelSkills!

We all boarded a Virgin America jet for a joy ride over the Bay Area– We had been told that Virgin Galactic’s spaceship might show up, too, so there was plenty of anticipation about how this was going to work…and what we might see up there.

We took a spectacular spin over the city and bay, then buzzed the Farrallon Islands west of the city out in the Pacific Ocean. Then, all of a sudden, we were asked to peer out the left side of the plane to see the spaceship appear off the left wing. Over the PA system, a flight attendant told everyone to disregard the fasten seat belt sign, and get over to the left side of the plane to see “the future of space travel.”

Luckily, I was already seated behind the wing on the left side, so I had a bird’s eye view of the fantastic sight and captured as much as I could in photos and video. What a sight it was! We circled around over the Pacific, then flew in over the Golden Gate Bridge, over Alameda and approached SFO from the south to land in tandem. Wow! Enjoy the video and photos below.

Scroll down for photos & video of the spaceship’s visit to the Bay Area in 2011.

Look closely at the photos and you’ll see that there are 3 “fuselages” on the aircraft. The center one is the “space ship” and it detaches from the vehicle (known as “White Knight”).

Flying over San Francisco on a Virgin America joy ride (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flying over Sausalito, CA. Look closely and you’ll see the “space ship” part of this aircraft in the middle– it detaches from the larger aircraft to shoot into space. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flying over Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay– where Pan Am Clippers used to take off for Asia! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flying over Alameda on approach to SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Here’s a shot of the aircraft alongside the Virgin America jet from which we saw it out the window. This was at an event to celebrate the opening of SFO’s Terminal 2 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

What’s the coolest thing YOU have ever seen out the window? Please leave your comments below!

Although Sir Richard Branson never owned a majority stake in Virgin America, he always considered it an integral part of his global Virgin family and infused it with innovative ideas for passenger services and amenities. And now Branson has said good-bye.

From 2004 to 2007, Branson guided the nascent venture – initially called Virgin USA – through the difficult process of finding U.S. investors (U.S. law requires that domestic airlines be owned mainly by U.S. citizens) and winning regulatory approval. Virgin America won that approval on March 20, 2007, and now 10 years later, new owner Alaska Airlines has decided to phase out the Virgin brand.

In a web posting this week titled “Dear Virgin America,” Branson waxed philosophic about the impending demise of the Virgin America brand.

“Many years ago, I shed tears over selling my beloved Virgin Records for $1 billion, which we needed to fight off British Airways’ Dirty Tricks campaign to try to put Virgin Atlantic out of business,” Branson wrote. “Many tears are shed today, this time over Alaska Airlines’ decision to buy and now retire Virgin America.” He noted that Alaska has “a very different business model,” and “could not find a way to maintain its own brand and that of Virgin America.”

Addressing Virgin America in the second person, Branson called it the best consumer airline in America: “You invented concepts like ‘moodlighting’ and ‘on-demand food,’ you reinvented cabin amenities from seat-to-seat chat to Netflix in the sky. You chose warm and soothing pink to purple moodlighting that transitions based on outside light. You proved it is possible to run a business with a strategy that does not rely on low fares and a dominant position alone: you attracted premium flyers with a fun and beautiful guest experience.”

Branson reminisced about the growth pains that Virgin went through and the successes it enjoyed in expanding its route network, enlarging its fleet, and finding a loyal following among both leisure and business passengers. “You would not believe the number of people who tell me how much they love flying Virgin America,” he wrote. “Keep expecting – and demanding – more from your airlines!”

As Alaska’s acquisition of Virgin moved toward completion last year, Branson said in media interviews that if the new owner didn’t preserve the Virgin America brand, he would start another new airline and revive it. But in his good-bye letter, he didn’t mention that possibility.

Working on your laptop inflight now impossible on some airlines (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Today the Department of Homeland Security announced that passengers traveling on nonstop flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa will not be allowed to carry on electronic devices larger than mobile phones. Instead, these larger devices must now be transported as checked luggage.

This morning, the UK imposed a similar ban on nonstop flights from six cities in the Middle East and Africa. The UK ban differs in that it DOES include non Middle East carriers (including British Airways) but it does not affect flights from Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi. Canada is also considering a similar ban.

This directive hits business travelers directly in the gut. Why? Because we typically spend most of our time on long flights working on our laptops, or watching movies on our tablets. We don’t check bags. And we don’t trust the airlines to transport our valuable equipment safely and securely in checked luggage (and airlines specifically state that they will not cover electronics in checked baggage).

The good news, if there is any, is that this directive affects a very small number of flights. DHS emphasizes that only 10 airports out of 250 worldwide with nonstop flights to the US are affected.

For example, at San Francisco International, it hits less than three flights per day: a daily nonstop from Dubai on Emirates Airline and the daily nonstop from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. It also affects a twice-per-week nonstop from Abu Dhabi to SFO on Etihad. In Atlanta, it affects two flights: the daily nonstop from Doha on Qatar Airways and another from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.

Why is this happening…and why now? Well, the DHS says that it made the move to improve security based on intelligence that terrorists were focused on commercial aviation targets. But we’ve known about this threat since the 1990s. An interesting story in the Washington Post posits that the move is not about security at all– it’s about retaliation against the big three Middle East Carriers (known as 3ME).

Source: The Washington Post

What’s most poignant here is how the ban will affect the 3ME, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. These are the only carriers offering nonstop flights to the U.S. from Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. While these airlines wow us with stellar onboard service on new aircraft, business travelers are going to book away from them when faced with this ban. Instead, they’ll book one-stop flights on European carriers for the flight back to the U.S. (At least that’s what I would do…what about you? Comments below, please!)

How long will this last? DHS says that the ban is in place indefinitely, although Emirates said it could last until October. The ban impacts all travelers on all affected flights regardless of citizenship or trusted traveler status. It even affects flights from Abu Dhabi, where passengers pass through customs at the airport in a DHS-run pre-clearance facility. The ban was announced on Tuesday, March 21, and airlines have until Friday to comply.

TIP: BACK UP YOUR LAPTOP NOW! Especially if overseas travel is in your future. You never know when or if this ban could spread and you could be separated from your device. Also, with a new focus on laptops, it would be smart to be sure it’s always charged in case you are asked to turn it on by security staff.

How do you feel about this? Does it affect you at all? Would you be more likely to book away from one of the affected carriers? Please leave your comments below!

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

From the San Francisco Chronicle: The Bay Area’s busiest gathering of designers right now might be tucked inside a hangar on the outskirts of San Francisco International Airport. That’s where 200 or so architects, engineers and other kindred spirits gather each weekday to chew on the details of a $1.5 billion project that won’t be finished until the end of 2022. And the first tangible result of their efforts — to rebuild an entire terminal without ever closing it — is the room where they work each day, a 33,000-square-foot, free-standing structure that was conceived and constructed in less than nine months. Full story and more photos here: Glimpse behind scenes as architects rebuild SFO terminal

Here’s the look of what’s to come at SFO Terminal 1 by 2022 (Photo: Gensler)

Want to get an earlier flight? It’ll cost more on Delta. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

It just got a little more expensive to get on an earlier Delta flight.

The airline this week boosted its fees from $50 to $75 for same-day confirmed flight changes and for standbys. That brings Delta’s fees into line with United’s and American’s.

The higher fee applies to SkyMiles Silver Medallions as well as non-elites and non-members. The fees continue to be waived for SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallions. H/T Points Miles & Martinis

The relatively steep fees at the major legacy carriers bring them into sharper contrast with Southwest’s no-fee policy for changes or cancellations. Earlier this month, Southwest also relaxed restrictions on free standby privileges for its A-List and A-List Preferred customers.

(Image: Jim Glab)

Even if you’re not on Southwest, it might be possible to get on an earlier flight without paying a fee, whether or not you’re an elite-level frequent flyer or a full-fare ticket holder. The key is to be able to show the gate agent that it is in the airline’s best interest to accommodate you on an earlier flight.

If you get to the airport in time to grab an earlier departure, check the arrival status of the inbound aircraft that will become the outbound flight you’ve booked. (Instead of looking at the airline’s arrivals board, use FlightAware’s mobile app for greater accuracy.) If it’s coming in late, it means your departure will likely be delayed – and you might miss a connection downline. That makes it in the airline’s interest to put you on an earlier departure, especially if your connecting flight is overbooked or the last one of the day.

If you’re flying out of a connecting hub and have a chance for an earlier departure than the one you’ve booked, ask the gate agent about the likelihood of “miss-connects” on that earlier flight. These are connecting passengers whose inbound flights are coming in late enough that they might miss the next segment (i.e., the one you want to get on). If the airline will accommodate your request, it will not only make you a happy passenger, but will also open up a seat on the later flight for someone who missed their connection.

Remember that your attitude in talking to the gate agent can make all the difference – and gate agents have all the power in these situations, especially when it comes to waiving fees. These employees are busy and frequently abused by irate travelers – so taking a high-handed approach won’t get you anywhere. Don’t be overbearing, but don’t be obsequious either. Just be pleasant and seem like you’re trying to be helpful rather than demanding or annoying.

If you have a good reason for wanting to get home earlier, it might be worth mentioning – especially if it involves your family. Would an earlier flight get you back in time to attend your kid’s Little League game or recital? Gate agents have families, too, and it could make them a little more sympathetic to your request.

There’s a rare fare war brewing for business class flights across the Atlantic. We know this is a good deal because standard business class fares usually run in the $5,000-$8,000 range. Today they are running as low as $1,799 round trip.

What we are finding today represents a savings of more than 50%– some business class round trips are in the <$2,000 range on a variety of airlines, although most seem to be on American or British Airways. However we are seeing several low fares on smaller carriers like Air Canada, Icelandair, Turkish and TAP, among others. Most fares require a stop enroute, but there are a handful of deals on nonstops, too.

What’s crazy about this sale is that many of these these fares are good from May all the way through January 2018. So if you have plans to fly over the pond, why not do so in lie-flat luxury (and earn those fat mileage bonuses)?

TIP: During the peak summer travel season (mid-June through mid-August) these business class fares will run only slightly above inflated economy class fares during that period. So why not bump up?

This is the Captain Kirk seat– one of the two best seats in Aer Lingus new biz class on its A330 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Ready to lie flat? Then check out these sample fares and head over to Google Flights for a look around! And keep coming back. This fare war seems to be just beginning and could expand to other carriers and routes. Or it could just go away.

Most of the best deals (e.g. those under $2,000) are from East Coast cities, however, a few good deals are popping up in the West, too, such as Phoenix-Dublin for just $1,940, or SFO-Zurich for $2,225.

Remember one of our most important travel skills: If you see a fare that looks good to you, BUY IT. Don’t wait around.

United’s Economy Plus on the new Boeing 777-300ER packs ’em in at 10-abreast (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

United has done a great job promoting the posh Polaris business class product on its brand new Boeing 777-300ER jets. But what’s going on behind the curtain in economy class is probably more important to a larger group of flyers.

This week we heard from a TravelSkills reader who flew Economy Plus between Newark and San Francisco on the new bird and sent us some thoughts on the experience.

First a little background: United currently has two Boeing 777-300ERs and says it will put a total of 14 of its new 777-300ERs into service during 2017. The aircraft will be configured with 60 Polaris business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; 102 Economy Plus seats in a 3-4-3 layout; and 204 regular economy seats also in a 3-4-3 layout. Yes, that is 10-across, which seems to be the emerging economy class standard on new B777s at many carriers, including Air France, American, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Qatar, and SWISS, among others.

United is rumored to be considering a “true” premium economy seat since both Delta and American have announced their intentions to do so. But there is nothing definitive from United so far. For now, Economy Plus on United is an economy seat with three extra inches of legroom.

First three rows of United Economy Plus on a B777-300ER- does not appear that bad when it’s empty (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Between now and May 4, United will fly a B777-300ER between San Francisco and Newark six days per week. Late last month it deployed a second B777-300ER on SFO-Newark which means there are now two flying the route (but only through March 8). On March 25, the aircraft will replace a 747-400 on the very competitive San Francisco-Hong Kong route (also serve by Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines).

I’m a regular reader of TravelSkills based in SF (thanks Chris for the interesting and helpful columns!) and after your post, I decided to try to new 777-300ER for a flight from EWR to SFO [5-6 hours]. Business class looked great, but I flew in Economy Plus, so here’s my review from the cheap seats.

Pros: The lighting is great. The seats are new and outfitted well (including power at every seat). Wifi actually worked pretty well on this flight.

Cons: The economy seats are just too narrow, making the flying experience miserable. I’m not a large person, and I’ve generally enjoyed UA E+, even on long trips. (For example, I flew on a UA 787 Dreamliner SFO-SYD last month in E+ and thought it was actually quite nice.) But my experience in E+ on the 777-300ER was awful.

I found it very difficult to work, and my neighbors and I got to know each other much better than I think any of us would have wanted. You are literally pushed up against the next passenger. Admittedly, my flight was full, and I expect that it would have been a very different experience with an open seat next to me. But with high load factors these days, you can’t count on an open seat next to you.

Bottom Line: I understand that United is going to add these planes to its SFO-Hong Kong route and other long haul flights. I flew SFO-HKG on a UA 747 last year, and I thought it was fine (although a bit aged and admittedly not nearly as nice as United’s 787). But I absolutely would not fly a UA 777-300ER in E+ on a long route [14.5 hours] like that.

In fact, based on my experience yesterday, I will actively avoid the UA 777-300ER in E+ on any route and would pay a premium to take a different plane, make a stop, or take another carrier to avoid these absurdly cramped seats.

Economy Plus rows 19-22 just behind business class and in front of a bank of lavs (Chris McGinnis)

Thanks for your Reader Report! If you would like to contribute a Reader Report to TravelSkills, check out our Reader Report guidelines.

Some additional notes regarding Amex: See below for Amex guest policy changes announced this week to fix overcrowding at lounges; additionally, we’ve heard from a few readers who called Amex to protest the 22% rate increase, and were offered a $300 credit on the spot to not cancel their cards)

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

This week Cathay Pacific announced that it would add a THIRD daily SFO-Hong Kong nonstop on October 29 using an Airbus A350, its first deployed in the U.S. The new jet will offer Cathay’s newest business class, premium economy and economy class seating (no first class). What’s really nice about this plane? It burns 25% less fuel (with corresponding reduction in emissions) and its carpet and blankets are made with nylon and plastic recycled from bottles and salvaged fishing nets, which pose a threat to marine life. Even better, this will be the first Cathay plane to offer inflight wi-fi– essential for those 12-14 hour flights to Hong Kong!

Cathay Pacific’s first U.S. A350 coming to SFO this fall (Photo: Cathay Pacific)

In less than a decade, the introduction of ride-sharing services has changed the way we travel for business more than just about anything else. Starting this week those rides get more luxurious as Lyft’s new Premier option expands.

Gone are the days of tense calls with terse dispatchers and uncertain waits for taxis to take us to the airport or to our meetings. Also gone: Overpriced limo rides to or from the airport.

Now we just push a button on our smartphones and watch our ride come to us on a map. We know how much the ride will cost before we even get in the car. When the ride is over, we thank the driver and step out of the car instead of waiting around for a receipt or worrying about leaving the right tip. While the wow factor of that has worn off on many frequent travelers, it still feels like magic to me!

To grab more of the lucrative corporate travel market, Lyft is now bringing even more magic to our airport or cross-town rides with the introduction of Lyft Premier– a new luxury ride service that will pick you up in high-end sedan or SUV like a BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Lexus LS, or Cadillac Escalade in minutes.

You’ll now see the new Premier option pop up on the Lyft app in 19 cities (Image: Lyft)

Last year Lyft introduced the new Premier option in a handful of major cities, and has been steadily expanding it across the US. Just this week it introduced Premier in eight more cities for a total of 19.

Ready for a little luxury in your next ride? Here are five key reasons to give Lyft Premier a try:

1> New cities: This week, Premier arrives in Baltimore, Boston, Denver, New Jersey, Orange County, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Seattle. It’s also available in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Phoenix, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C.

2> Tipping: As always (and thankfully!) you can tip your driver via the Lyft app. Once your ride is over, you’ll get a prompt on your phone to rate the driver and leave a tip if you’d like. No awkward moments when you don’t have cash, or the driver does not have change. For this reason alone, many frequent travelers use Lyft as their primary ride-share service. What about you?

Lyft Premier will pick you up in a BMW, Audi, Lexus, or Cadillac in minutes. (Image: Lyft)

3> Prices: Back in the day, I would pay about $50 or $60 for an uncomfortable taxicab ride between my house in San Francisco and SFO Airport. When I was lucky enough to have a client willing to pay for a cushy car service, that fare would rise to around $100. These days I pay about $30 for a regular Lyft ride to the airport– and when I want a little luxury, I’ll ping a Lyft Premier for about $60. Generally, Premier fares run about twice as much as regular Lyft fares. In New York, a Premier ride from Manhattan to JFK runs $101-$121, while a regular Lyft costs $52-$65.

4> Nicer cars: Premier offers users style, consistency and comfort, and Premier vehicles likely resemble the luxury car in your garage or driveway.To qualify as a Lyft Premier vehicle, it must be a top-tier luxury make/model and it can’t be older than a 2008 model. It must have leather seats and comfortably accommodate at least three passengers.

5> Higher-rated drivers: Premier drivers maintain stellar ratings. Since Premier rates are higher, drivers make more money on higher fares (plus Lyft reports that Premier rides earn 50% higher tips on average) and are more likely to offer those little extras such as phone chargers, mints and water.

Ride-sharing among frequent travelers has become ubiquitous– as a matter of fact, they are now more frequently expensed than taxis and rental cars combined.

In addition to Lyft Premier, you’ll find Lyft, Lyft Line (shared rides) and Lyft Plus (6+ passenger vehicles) on the app. Since its founding in June 2012, Lyft has expanded to more than 200 cities in the U.S.

Do you or have you used Lyft? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.

Disclosure: Thank you for reading TravelSkills! We will periodically create posts or send out messages like this one from commercial partners about topics relevant to frequent travel. Our sponsors’ support, and yours, help us keep TravelSkills a free publication.

Waiting in line at the entry to United’s new Club at SFO Terminal 3 (Chris McGinnis)

Frequent travelers love airport lounges, but do we love them too much? Maybe.

Overcrowding is becoming a serious issue in airline clubs- so much so that members are rethinking annual memberships, or considering newer options.

During busy morning hours, the United Clubs and the American Express Centurion Lounge my home airport (SFO) are frequently more crowded than airport terminals. Club staff have difficulty keeping buffets stocked and tables cleaned.

Last time I was in New York-JFK, I had to squeeze onto a stool between two other travelers and peer out at the tarmac to mentally escape from the crazy-crowded Delta Sky Club where I’d just waited two-deep for a glass of chardonnay at the bar. In Istanbul last May I saw business class passengers wait in bathroom lines for 10-20 minutes at Turkish Airlines’ massive (but crowded) business class lounge.

And then yesterday, I heard from a reader reporting that Alaska Airlines clubs at Sea-Tac were turning away Priority Pass cardholders due to capacity issues.

Watching the sun and the planes from a pretty perch at Delta’s exceptional Sky Club at SFO (Chris McGinnis)

At one time, high fees and lack of publicity kept most airline clubs cozy, quiet and comfortable refuges from crowded airport concourses. But that started to change a few years ago, when airlines began offering one-time passes for $50. Then credit card companies got in on the act, offering membership or day passes to card holders. That started to swell the ranks of club visitors.

Then American Express saw a need for better airport lounges for its top tier Platinum and Centurion card members, and started to build lounges of its own. These Centurion lounges wowed members with chef-prepared meals, top-shelf bars, wine tastings, sophisticated design, and showers. The travel media fawned. But then Centurion lounges became overcrowded, too.

The main room of The Club at SJC (Photo: Scott Hintz)

One solution to overcrowding has been the growth of airline agonistic lounges like The Club, which charges $40 per visit and has locations at 9 airports in the US. In my experience, these lounges are rarely crowded, and relatively nice. There are also Escape Lounges in the U.S. and the U.K.

Technology can also help. For example, the LoungeBuddy app helps travelers determine which lounges have availability, how much they cost and if they have a “pay as you go” option for as little as $25. Founder Tyler Dikman credits much of his company’s recent growth to travelers frustration with with crowding, which he says has become worse in the last three years.

I don’t know about you, but with the help of PreCheck and Clear, I now feel that I’ve honed my travel skills 🙂 so well that I usually get to the airport without ample time to fully enjoy the airport club experience, so the perk is less valuable to me. Plus, many airports terminals are as nice as airport clubs these days (hello SFO T3E or T2 or Newark Terminal C, Los Angeles TBIT or Delta’s new C gates at LGA)

What about you? Have crowded conditions forced you to reconsider club memberships or credit cards offering lounge access as a perk? Please leave your comments below.

Over the last year there have been numerous TravelSkills posts about WOW Air and its ultra-low fares from the US to Europe. Until now we’ve only wondered what the experience might be like. But this week reader Jason Vaudrey submitted the following Reader Report describing his experience. Read it, and let us know if you’d take the plunge on WOW Air, too!

In mid-February, I flew WOW Air in economy class to Reykjavik (KEF) and met up with a friend and explored South Iceland. WOW Air began nonstop service from SFO this past year using an Airbus 330-200. On this widebody there are 319 economy class seats and 23 roomier XL seats.

My baseline fare was about $220 each way, but I ended up spending about $650 total roundtrip when you add in the extra fees. I reserved a specific seat which cost an additional $14 each way. I paid $71 each way to check my bag. I probably spent about $50 on inflight food and beverages (wine). I did not pay the $50 fee for my carry on because it was small enough to fit under the seat. [Currently, WOW is promoting base fares as now as $260 roundtrip for spring trips from both SFO and LAX.]

Flight time on SFO-KEF is about eight hours. I departed on Monday, February 13 at 11:20am and arrived to Reykjavik (KEF) on Tuesday, February 14 at 4:00am. On the return, I departed Reykjavik at 4:00pm and arrived to San Francisco at 5:10pm on the same day. There is an 8-hour difference between the west coast of the U.S. and Iceland.

I chose seat 5C outbound and on the return I sat in 5H. Both were aisle seats, but I noticed that 5C could not fit my backpack under the seat easily while 5H stored it very easily. And there was no metal box underneath the seat in front of me that would have prevented this from happening.

I also felt that on the return there was greater seat pitch. The WOW Air website indicates that there is 31 inches of seat pitch in economy, but it felt like the seat pitch was greater, even in 5C. WOW Air also offers 23 XL seats at the front of the plane with 34 inches of pitch. Here’s the WOW Air A330 seatmap from SeatGuru.com

The check-in process at SFO is smooth and they weigh all checked luggage at SFO, so that they confirm you paid the proper amount. They also tag your carry-on bag at the check-in counter and verify it at the gate, to indicate to the cabin crew that the bag will need to be placed underneath the seat in front of you.

Despite the vigilance of the ground staff, the cabin crew did not seem to care if you stored your bag in the overhead lockers, as I did with my backpack and many other passengers did, too. Unlike most flights, where there is a battle for overhead bin space, this was a non-issue on both flights.

There is no seatback entertainment system, but upon takeoff the cabin crew offers iPads for $16 that have movies available and there is an electrical outlet to charge your devices, but only one, so you will need to share with your seatmate. I did not rent an iPad, so I was unsure as to what was offered on them. No USB ports or wi-fi are available on board the airplane.

Chicken salad pre-ordered for flight from KEF back to SFO (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

There are charges for all beverages and snacks— there’s a plentiful selection and comparable with prices that you would pay for the same food in Iceland. They offer alcoholic beverages and a variety of specialty sandwiches for flights from LAX and SFO.

Online you may order food and prepay for the food for flights leaving Reykjavik, but preordering food for flights from SFO or any US destination is not available. If you are connecting in Reykjavik, you can pre-order food, but you will not receive it on your flight from SFO, but rather your connecting flight departing Reykjavik. I had pre-ordered a chicken salad on my return which was $16 and it was delicious.

Inflight food for purchase on WOW Air (Image: WOW Air)

Yes, a bottle of water is $3, so make sure to fill your water bottle at SFO prior to boarding. And no, they do not charge to use the lavatory.

The cabin crew brought out the beverage/food cart after takeoff offering a wide array of beverages and things to eat. Afterward they come around and offer duty free items. You may purchase alcohol on board and it might be wise to consider making a purchase (see below on alcohol in Iceland).

Throughout the flight, attendants encourage you to use your call button, and they are happy to bring you any item you need along with their mobile credit card machine (they do not accept cash). In fact, most places in Iceland have similar mobile devices and that worked out well.

Pleasant flight crew on WOW Air (Photo Jason Vaudrey)

After it was all said and done, I spent approximately $650 for my ticket purchased in the beginning of December for my trip in mid-February. And compared with Icelandair at $950, which would involve flying Alaska Airlines up to Seattle and connecting at Sea-Tac, I think the nonstop 8-hour flight on Wow Air is worth it. The employees (airport personnel, cabin crew, and pilots) were friendly and professional, the aircraft was extremely clean, plenty of items to purchase and items to satisfy both your hunger and entertainment needs.

There were approximately 100 seats empty on the outbound and 40 seats empty on the return flight. I went on Wow Air with the mindset that it was a budget carrier and I would have to pay for everything, and it worked out well.

The cabin crews on both flights were attentive, nice, and showed great hospitality. The seats were firm, but comfortable and the recline was decent. The lever for the seat recline was underneath the seat, as opposed to a button that you depress on the armrest. I managed to sleep four hours going to Reykjavik.

Relaxing in the Secret Lagoon on a Sunday afternoon in Fluoir about 100km from Reykjavik (Photo: Jason Vaudrey)

One important note: In Iceland, alcohol is sold only at government owned stores named Vinbudin. In fact, Wow Air has a page describing the history of alcohol in Iceland and the rules surrounding it. The cost for alcohol along with most items, is extremely expensive and taxed heavily, so stock up on alcohol upon landing in their duty free before exiting arrivals!

We were there a week and chose to rent a car and explore southern Iceland, used Reykjavik as a base, and took day trips around southern Iceland. It is easy to get around, and the roads are well maintained. If that is not comfortable, day excursions can be planned easily in central Reykjavik on their main road: Laugauvegur.

Day trips are expensive and if you want to visit the infamous Blue Lagoon, book a reservation online early. We opted for the Secret Lagoon in Fluoir, which was not so much a secret, about 100 km from Reykjavik. It was wonderful. Many people were there, but it was not overwhelming and very enjoyable.

In February, the sun rises approximately at 9:30am and the sun sets about 6:00pm. The weather was not too bad and we were very fortunate, because upon leaving, it was forecast to snow.

Iceland is gorgeous and breathtaking. If you go in winter, seeing the Northern Lights is incredible. A quick trip just outside of Reykjavik and away from the light pollution of the city, you can witness it. We were fortunate to be able to view the Northern Lights one night when we realized how clear the sky was after returning from dinner in Reykjavik. But other than that, it was overcast each night.

There’s a fare war festering between major airlines and ultra-low-cost carriers between the West Coast and Chicago with fares as low as $120 round trip.

What’s best about this deal is that it is good for spring break travel– we’ve found super low, sub $150 roundtrip fares on SFO-ORD and LAX-ORD from now through the end of May.

The cheap fares are lead by the ultra lows: Spirit Air and Frontier. Both are offering fares as low as $100 round trip on this busy route, which is crazy. But keep in mind that you end up paying a price for using these guys…you are dinged for carry-on bags, seat assignments, and don’t get much love (or alternatives) if your flight is canceled or delayed. You might have to take a red-eye. But still, $100 round trip is tough to resist!

Majors have responded with ultra low fares of their own– we found nonstop deals on United, American, and Virgin America for as little as $120 round trip. We found American’s code share on new Alaska Air operated nonstops between San Jose and Chicago as cheap as $128. And these are regular economy fares, not the new stripped down “basic economy” fares loaded with restrictions and fees. Plus most of these flights are at decent times, you’ll still earn miles or points, and are not saddled with too many restrictions.

United’s brand new Boeing 777-300ER arrives at SFO for the first time (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This week United put its newest bird, the Boeing 777-300ER, into service. Starting Thursday, February 16, the new 777 will fly domestically between SFO and Newark. With a United fare sale that started today, you can try out the new plane for as little as $252 round trip in March (that’s cheap!), but you’ll pay about $3,000+ in business class.

Right now, there’s only one United jet flying with the Polaris seats— the one you’ll see pictured below. While United has begun marketing all its business class tickets as Polaris, you’ll only find the seat on the B777-300ER for the time being. United will get 14 of these birds from Boeing this year.

A window seat in United’s new Polaris cabin on B777-300ER (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Note the staggered configuration of window seats on United B777-300ER- best seats are closest to windows on odd numbered rows (Chris McGinnis)

Bulkhead center seats (rows 1 and 9) are the best choice for tall travelers- 80 inches long in full recline! (Chris McGinnis)

If you are on another type of aircraft, you’ll get United’s old business class seat, even if your booking and boarding pass say “Polaris” which has been confusing to many TravelSkills readers. That’s because you are getting the Polaris “soft product”- which in airline terms means the food and beverage service (such as the wine flights or bloody mary cart), pillows, blankets, new amenity kits and white teddy bears (currently selling on eBay for $80!)

Passengers on the first Polaris flights get cute teddy bears along with new amenity kits (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The “hard product,” meaning the reconfigured cabin and new Polaris seats will roll out slowly. Between now and May 4, United will fly the B777-300ER between San Francisco and Newark six days per week. On February 22, United gets another new B777-300ER which it will also deploy on SFO-Newark through March 8– which means there will be TWO Polaris planes flying the route for a short period of time.

Interested in flying on the new plane? When booking your SFO-EWR flight on United, click on “Detailed View” or “Details” and look for “Boeing 777-300ER.”

On March 25, the new aircraft will make its international scheduled service debut, replacing a 747-400 on the very competitive San Francisco-Hong Kong route, where United’s Polaris seat and service compete with two of the best in the business: Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

TravelSkills was at SFO to welcome the shiny jet and its payload of travel media invited along to try out the new Polaris business class seats. This flight operated as a charter and was not available for purchase.

A few observations about the B777-300ER after my brief tour and chat with a few of those on the media charter:

>Length of seat and comfort vary in the new Polaris cabin. Window seats offer the most privacy and best views, although with some neck craning, you can get a view out the window from some window-side aisle seats (even numbers). Due to the staggered configuration, an odd-numbered window seat should be your first choice. See B777-300ER layout on SeatGuru here.

>The bulkhead center business class seats (rows 1 and 9) are a remarkable 80 inches long in full recline— that’s enough room for a 6’8″ passenger! I’m 6 feet tall and had to point my toes to touch the wall in a regular mid-cabin window seat. The seat feels a little narrow, but in the few minutes I was in it, I was comfortable, and I’m sure I’d sleep well on my side snuggled in with a bear, a big pillow and a Saks Fifth Avenue blanket (plus eye shades and ear plugs!)

Chris lying flat in a new United Polaris seat (Photo: J Guerin)

>Economy class is configured 10-across while United’s other 777s offer 9-across seating. I was prepared for the worst when I ventured beyond the curtain, but when I tried the premium economy seat, I was impressed with the seat legroom (34 inches pitch). Granted, I was seated alone in a center seat, but it just did not seem that bad. Time will tell what it’s like to be jammed into a center seat with two large passengers on either side. But the seat, the access to power, the seatback screen and knee room all seemed okay to me.

>There’s a clubby Economy Plus section (rows 19-22) just behind business class, the first row (19) of which are probably the very best economy seats on the plane due to the legroom. Plus this cabin is protected from the larger economy class cabin by bank of lavatories. Economy Plus row 24 offers a lot of legroom, too, but proximity to the lavatories could be a problem, and there’s a limited view out the window and no storage space for take off and landing.

Club-like Economy Plus rows 19-22 just behind business class and in front of a bank of lavs (Chris McGinnis)

>You can tell where Economy Plus ends and regular economy begins by looking at the color scheme of the seats, as well as the placards in the overhead bins. Regular economy was pretty tight (31 inches pitch), but I had a couple inches in front of my knees when the seat in front was not reclined. That would disappear as soon as the person in front reclined. (See below) Out of 10 seats across four are middle seats, six are windows or aisles.

There are two crew rest areas on this plane. One is upfront for pilots, the other is accessed by a secret door by the rear galley and contains six soundproof sleeping berths for flight attendants. This get-away-from-it-all space is cherished by crew, especially on those 12-15 our transpac long hauls!

United said it expects to put all 14 of its new 777-300ERs into service during 2017. The aircraft will be configured with 60 Polaris business class seats in a 1-2-1 layout; 102 Economy Plus seats; and 204 regular economy seats.

So what do you think about this big new bird? Please leave your comments below!

A week of steady rain has caused a steady stream of delays at SFO (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Flight delays at San Francisco International Airport regularly exceed two hours when it’s rainy, windy or foggy, while airports in San Jose and Oakland report few if any delays. On Thursday (Feb 9) the FAA is reporting delays averaging a painful three hours at SFO. According to FlightStats.com operations are normal at nearby Oakland and San Jose.

Why does SFO seem to suffer so many more weather-related delays than other airports in the Bay Area?

Of course, the answer is endlessly complicated, but for the most part, the main reason is capacity. SFO’s runways are too close together to allow simultaneous operations during wet weather. Due to environmental concerns, there are no current plans to further separate the runways, which would require expansion into the Bay.

The West Plan at SFO allows up to 60 aircraft arrivals per hour (Illustration provided by SFO. Yes, we know about the “SJO” mistake designers made on this image.)

SFO runways are designed to handle up to 60 aircraft arrivals per hour in dry weather. That’s because the airport operates two sets of parallel runways– one set for takeoffs, the other for landings. These parallel runways intersect at their midpoint forming a giant “X.” (See figure) During dry weather, two streams of planes can land and take off from these parallel runways.

The problem is that planes are only allowed to take off and land simultaneously on these parallel runways during clear, dry weather.

When storms blow in, air traffic control changes up the formation in which planes land, from the dry weather “West Plan”(with aircraft arriving on runways 28L or 28R and departing on runways 01L or 01R– see above) to the stormy weather “Southeast” plan (when aircraft arrive on 19L & 19R and depart on 10L & 10R– see below).

When air traffic controllers switch to the Southeast plan, simultaneous operations on parallel runways is forbidden, which cuts the airport’s arrivals capacity in half– from 60 down to 30 or 38 per hour, depending on the severity of conditions. All planes must land in single file, which causes delays when there are 60 planes scheduled to land, but air traffic control only allows 35. And when planes arrive late, it’s likely that they will also depart late.

During rainy weather, SFO switches to the Southeast plan, which slows down operations (Illustration provided by SFO. Yes, we know about the “SJO” mistake designers on this image )

If you live in San Francisco, you can tell when planes switch to the Southeast Plan because some arriving aircraft whistle and moan as they descend through the clouds over the city as they approach SFO.

What can you do to avoid this? Fly early during storm season. Before 9 a.m., arrival volume at SFO is below 30 per hour. But after 9 a.m., just over 30 aircraft are scheduled to land. The arrivals rate peaks between 12 noon and 2 pm when 40+ aircraft per hour are scheduled to land at SFO. The situation usually does not improve until later in the afternoon when arrival volume falls below 30 per hour.

The main reason that airports in Oakland and San Jose don’t face such on-time performance issues– even when it’s raining— is because their volume is low. They rarely exceed their capacity for arrivals in good or bad weather. (For example, neither airport is included in the BTS’s top 29 airports cited above.)

Last week reported on just how big that difference in volume really is: Last year, SFO handled a record 53 million passengers while Oakland had about 12 million and San Jose reported about 11 million.

In 2014, SFO announced thatnew landing procedures could help reduce delays– but those new procedures only apply during periods of low ceilings (fog) but not rain.

Have you or would you consider switching your flying to Oakland or San Jose due to delays at SFO? Why or why not? Please leave your comments below.

A few weeks ago we saw Bay Area to London roundtrip fares plummet to under $500 – an astounding deal. Now, with competition heating up, those cheap fares are back… and available from ALL three airports: SFO, San Jose and Oakland! And on all airlines serving the route: British Airways, Norwegian, Virgin Atlantic and United.

In these heady days, we now have up to NINE roundtrips every day between the Bay Area and London (Gatwick and Heathrow).

One at San Jose SJC (British Airways)

Two at Oakland OAK (British Airways and Norwegian)

Six at San Francisco SFO (British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United)

With competition like that, I bet we’ll see cheap fares for at least the rest of this year.

This sample is for May 1 – May 8 (Google Flights)

What is great about these deals is that they are currently available all the way through mid-May— which means you can fly to London for Spring Break if you fancy that! ‘Tis lovely in the spring!

After May, fares creep up into the $600 round trip range, but even that is a great deal when you consider it’s available during peak summer travel season June-August) when fares normally rise to near $1,800 round trip.

If you want to be among the very first to experience United’s Polaris business class on its first new 777-300ER, your miles can make it possible – but you must act fast.

As TravelSkills readers know, United introduced its new Polaris business class service late last year– but it has yet to roll out a plane with the new Polaris business class seat.United’s first Boeing 777-300ER with the new seats makes its domestic debut later this month.

The airline has scheduled a gala inaugural flight for the new aircraft – dubbed ‘New Spirit of United’ — on Monday, February 13, from Chicago O’Hare to San Francisco, and it has started an online auction where MileagePlus members can bid miles to win a pair of seats in the Polaris cabin.

The bidding deadline is noon CST on Monday, February 6, and at this writing the minimum bid is 241,000 miles. New bids can only be made in increments of 1,000 miles.

A window seat in United’s new Polaris business class. (Image: United)

What you’re bidding on is not only two Polaris tickets for the ORD-SFO maiden flight, but an entire package that also includes a pair of economy tickets to Chicago, two more for a flight home from San Francisco, and a hotel stay in San Francisco the night of February 13. You’ll also have access to United’s new Polaris lounge at O’Hare.

You must be 21 or older to participate, and you can’t check any bags – carry-ons only.

The first scheduled service of a Polaris-equipped 777-300ER will be on a domestic route, linking United’s San Francisco and Newark Liberty International hubs. The new aircraft will fly six days a week from February 13 through May 4, the airline said.

On March 25, the new aircraft will make its international scheduled service debut, replacing a 747-400 on the very competitive San Francisco-Hong Kong route, where Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific both offer non-stop service.

The Boeing 777-300ER will have 60 business class seats— that’s up from around 50 in its 747s and 777-200s. Both Economy Plus and regular economy seating will be 10-across, configured 3-4-3. Economy Plus will offer 34 inches of pitch vs. 31 inches for regular economy. Currently, United’s 777s are 9 across in economy class.

Shortly after taking over Virgin America, Alaska Airlines announced that it would convert Elevate points to Mileage Plan mile at a relatively generous rate of 1.3 to 1.

That’s nice of Alaska, but does it mean that Virgin flyers should rush to convert their points to Alaska miles?

No!

As long as Virgin America and Alaska Airlines operate separate airlines, and separate loyalty programs, smart flyers should hold on to BOTH currencies.

Why? Because in some cases you’ll get better value redeeming your Virgin America points, and in other cases, it makes more sense to convert and redeem Mileage Plan miles. In other words, it depends…

My suggestion for Virgin America Elevate members: Go ahead and link your accounts, but hold on to your points until you have a specific flight to redeem them on. At that point, you can determine if you get better value by redeeming your points, or by converting them to miles.

Spectacular view of Honolulu at take off on Virgin America. Note the sparkles in the paint on the engine! (Chris McGinnis)

Here’s one of several emails I’ve received from readers that I’ll use as an example:

Chris: Alaska is sounding generous with the 1.3x multiplier but here’s the thing: Right now I can book a roundtrip flight between San Francisco and New York on Virgin for about 14,000 Elevate points. But how how much would it cost using Alaska miles? A minimum of 25,000 round trip, and maybe up to 40,000 or 50,000 miles. So this is not a good deal at all for Elevate members — or am I missing something? — M.S.

The reason M.S. can book that Virgin flight so cheaply on points right now is that fares are relatively cheap on SFO-JFK during the cold winter months. And remember that Virgin awards are based on the cost of the ticket. Alaska’s mileage-based program offers domestic roundtrips at a flat rate of 25,000 miles (minimum). When prices rise later in the year, M.S.’s calculation would change, and it might make more sense for him to convert his Virgin points to Alaska miles.

So…since it depends, the best advice is to hold on to your Virgin points until you have a specific redemption in mind. Remember that once your Virgin points are converted to Alaska miles, the deal is done– you can’t reverse the conversion.

If you have not already done so, you can link your Alaska and Virgin accounts here. For a full FAQ on both programs, see this.To make a conversion, go to this page.

Don’t give up the flexibility of being a member of both programs until you have to.

Today United and Virgin Atlantic have a great deal on round trip, nonstop flights to London from many major US gateways- just $481 round trip for winter and spring trips!

This is an especially good deal– any time we see nonstops west coast to Europe for less than $500, we jump!

What’s best about this sale is the wide window during which you can get the deal- according to Google Flights, the deal is good for flights from now all the way through mid May 2017. This includes the popular and busy spring break timeframe.

Google flights showing SFO-London for just $481 for winter and spring trips

From SFO, you can now fly on Virgin Atlantic’s two new B787 Dreamliners plying the route across the pond. United flies 777s on the SFO-LHR Heathrow route.

WOW Air’s one-stop flights from SFO to London are as low as $440 (with big fees). From Oakland, Norwegian Air offers fares from Oakland to London as low as $385 roundtrip (with restrictions) so this is clearly a competitive move on the part of the majors. From San Jose, there are competitive fares ($495) on to London on Air Canada and United, but require a stop enroute.

NOTE: Currently British Airways does not seem to be participating in this great deal.

Find these deals on Google Flights. NOTE: If flights are not found on Google flights, try United.com or VirginAtlantic.com, both of which are still showing these fares as of 6 pm Wednesday.

United Airlines Boeing 737-800s will soon fly nonstop to New York and Chicago from San Jose (Image: Chad Slattery / United)

With major U.S. airlines adding more flights at Mineta San Jose International this winter and spring, and with international flight options taking off, the airport has been making substantial improvements to handle increased passenger traffic.

New domestic flights starting in the first half of the New Year include:

A pair of new nonstops for United Airlines, both starting March 9. United will begin twice-daily flights to its big hub at Chicago O’Hare, and one daily roundtrip to its East Coast hub at Newark Liberty International. United will use 737-800s on both routes.

Staking a bigger claim in California, Alaska Airlines will inaugurate new transcontinental service on the SJC-Newark route on March 12, operating one daily roundtrip, followed by new intrastate service three times a day from San Jose to Hollywood-Burbank beginning March 16. These are the fourth and fifth new Alaska Airlines routes at SJC since late 2015, giving the carrier a total of 16 destinations.

On May 1, Air Canada is due to add a third daily frequency between San Jose-Vancouver.

American Airlines’ seasonal service between San Jose and Charlotte is set to resume May 5.

Delta will boost its presence at San Jose beginning May 25, when it expands its schedule to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson from two flights a day to three.

SJC’s popular business class lounge awarded “Priority Pass Lounge of the Year for North America.” (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Even without these new flights, SJC has been experiencing healthy growth in passenger numbers. Through the first 10 months of 2016, the domestic passenger count topped the 4 million mark, an increase of more than 7 percent year-over-year. And thanks to new flights across both the Atlantic and Pacific, international traffic at SJC jumped more than 68 percent during that period.

New and improved passenger amenities at Mineta San Jose make life easier for travelers. The three-year-old Club at SJC in Terminal A, a lounge open to all travelers on a paid basis and also a part of the Priority Pass network of airport lounges, was recently named the Priority Pass Airport Lounge of the Year for North America.

International travelers at SJC are finding their lives a little easier thanks to recent improvements that help them to speed through passenger processing. Many domestic travelers rely on TSA’s PreCheck program to move through security screening more quickly, but now some international travelers at San Jose can also take advantage of that benefit: Lufthansa – which began San Jose-Frankfurt flights last summer – recently became the first European airline to begin participation in PreCheck.

International travelers at SJC can now download Customs and Border Protection’s free Mobile Passport Control app on their phones or tablets and use it to submit their passport data and Customs declaration form to CBP. A coded electronic receipt shown to the CBP officer lets them move quickly through the arrivals process. And the airport also offers CBP’s Global Entry kiosks for international arrivals who belong to that trusted traveler program, allowing them to bypass lines. Also available at SJC are Automated Passport Control kiosks where arriving travelers can submit their entry information.

No need to fill out paper customs and immigration forms when you have the new Mobile Passport Control app

And more enhancements are on the way. This spring, the airport is expected to finish a renovation of its International Arrivals Building that will add 5,600 square feet along with a second baggage carousel and an enclosed waiting area.

A image of the future International Arrivals lobby (Image: SJC)

On a lighter note, Mineta San Jose has garnered attention and acclaim for its recent deployment of three interactive customer service robots – an appropriate innovation for an airport that serves as the gateway to Silicon Valley. Even more interactive robots – smaller ones – are featured in the airport’s new play area for children in Terminal B.

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International Airlines Group plans to fight back against transatlantic low-cost competition. (Image: IAG)

British Airways’ parent company plans to launch new low-cost transatlantic service from Barcelona to the U.S. in 2017.

International Airlines Group — which owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and the low-cost Spanish airline Vueling – is considering adding a new subsidiary in 2017 that will offer cheap fares to and from the U.S. West Coast in response to low-fare competition from Norwegian, according to The Times of London.

The newspaper said IAG’s new operation is expected to use Airbus A330s to fly from Barcelona’s El Prat Airport to San Francisco and Los Angeles beginning in June 2017. The new venture is also targeting transatlantic flights from Barcelona to Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; and Havana, Cuba, the report said.

Tickets are not expected to go on sale until February or March 2017, and no fare information is currently available according to CAPA.

Vueling, IAG’s low-cost Spanish subsidiary that serves short-haul markets, will provide passenger feed into Barcelona for the transatlantic flights. There were no details yet on specific schedules or fares for the West Coast service. IAG suggested that it might operate the new service under one of its existing brands if it does not create a new subsidiary.

Europe’s legacy airlines have recently been stirred to action on the low-cost front as Norwegian adds more long-haul routes at extremely low base fares. Norwegian in recent months has started or announced new and increased low-fare service from major U.S. airports to London Gatwick, Paris and Barcelona, especially from the West Coast. Lufthansa is concentrating on growing its low-cost Eurowings subsidiary, adding aircraft from Airberlin and Brussels Airlines for that purpose.

Air France KLM recently revealed plans to develop a low-cost long-haul operation tentatively called Boost, based at Paris Charles de Gaulle, although few details are available. And in addition to IAG’s new Barcelona-based operation, British Airways is adding service to Oakland and Ft. Lauderdale in 2017 from London Gatwick instead of its Heathrow hub, in response to Norwegian’s increasing Gatwick service. BA is said to be planning eventually to use higher-capacity 777s with 332 seats instead of 280 for its long-haul Gatwick operations, in order to make them cost-competitive with Norwegian.

A commemorative livery on an Alaska Air 737 arrives from Seattle to celebrate the takeover of Virgin America (Photo: Peter Biaggi / SFO)

Alaska Airlines today officially closed its acquisition of Virgin America and announced plans to combine some aspects of operations and loyalty programs, but said that the two airline brands will remain separate for now. The company also announced some new routes out of San Francisco in 2017.

(Scroll down for a slideshow of the celebration at SFO)

“No decisions regarding the Virgin America brand have been made. Alaska plans to continue to operate the Virgin America fleet with its current name and product for a period of time while it conducts extensive customer research to understand what fliers value the most,” Alaska said. “Virgin America will continue to fly under its brand with no immediate changes to the onboard product or experience.” The company said it expects to reach a decision about the Virgin brand “in early 2017,” but noted that customers won’t see any big changes to the Virgin product “within the next 12 months.”

The effects of the merger begin on December 19, when customers will be able to buy Virgin America tickets through the alaskaair.com website, although Virgin America’s website will continue to sell them “for the immediate future” as well.

Also starting December 19, members of Virgin’s Elevate loyalty program will be able to earn points on Alaska Airlines flights, and Alaska’s Mileage Plan members can earn miles on Virgin’s flights. Elite members of both programs will get priority check-in and boarding on either airline. And Virgin America elite members will soon enjoy perks like last minute upgrades to Alaska Airlines new premium economy seats.

Snacks with a message at the Alaska/Virgin announcement. (Image: Chris McGinnis)

The two loyalty programs will not be combined for now, Alaska said, but on January 9, Elevate members will be invited to activate new Mileage Plan accounts, so they can earn miles not only on Alaska but also on its international partner airlines, which fly to more than 800 global destinations. Elevate elite members who start a Mileage Plan account will get equivalent elite status in that program. Also starting January 9, members of both programs will be able to claim award travel on either carrier.

What’s yet to be determined is what the exchange rate between the two programs will be...Virgin’s operates on points per dollar spent, and Alaska’s still works on miles flown, so it could get messy. But I’m hoping that Alaska makes the ratio something that will surprise and delight Elevate members… so stay tuned for more on that..

What’s best for Virgin America flyers is all the new opportunities for earning and burning miles with Alaska’s robust collection of airline partners (15+ top shelf airlines)– this is one of the strongest elements of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program.

The combined Alaska-Virgin America will be the nation’s fifth largest airline. (Image: Alaska Air Group)

Alaska also announced plans to begin new service out of San Francisco next summer, including a daily flight to Orlando, two a day to Minneapolis-St. Paul and four a day to Orange County, California – although it did not specify which of the two airline brands would operate them. It said details of those routes will be announced December 21.

The company is using the slogan “different works” in the campaign promoting its merger. What’s that mean? “While Alaska Airlines and Virgin America may seem different on the surface, fundamentally we are similar,” it said. “Both airlines have always been about doing things a bit differently to offer something better for travelers. Alaska and Virgin America have built outstanding reputations for low fares, on-time performance, innovative products and experiences and award-winning customer service.”

Alaska has created a special website at www.differentworks.com where customers can find more information about the merger plans. Together, Alaska and Virgin will be the nation’s fifth-largest airline and the one with the largest West Coast presence, and a combined network of 1,200 flights a day to 118 destinations.

Despite the hoopla about the merger, there’s an underlying angst among Virgin America employees. Asked how he felt to see the merger finally consummated, one Virgin America executive told TravelSkills: “Conflicted. We feel like parents who have been given a pile of money to give up their kids.”

Remember the photo that leaked last month of an aircraft with a combined Alaska/Virgin livery? Alaska said today that is not a preview of the look of the combined airline, but simply “a special commemorative plane designed to mark the occasion.” Speaking of aircraft, Alaska said it hasn’t yet decided about the future direction of its fleet – Alaska has an all-Boeing mainline fleet while Virgin is all-Airbus – but that planes from both manufacturers will remain in the combined fleet “for many years.”

Customers who have a Gogo Wi-Fi monthly pass can now use it on either airline where Gogo service is offered.

Those who have a Virgin America Travel Bank or flight credit cannot yet use it to buy flights on Alaska.

Although some aspects of the loyalty programs are being combined or made reciprocal, for now the same is not true of the Mileage Plan Visa Card or the Virgin America Visa Card. “For now, each credit card will be limited to the specific terms and benefits of the associated airline,” Alaska said.

Alaska’s 20-minute guarantee for checked baggage delivery will not apply to Virgin America for now.

Members of the two airlines’ respective airport lounges will not have reciprocal access privileges – except at LAX where both airlines operate lounges. However, “Soon the Virgin America Loft will be part of Alaska’s network of 60+ lounges,” Alaska said, promising to offer more details soon.

Commemorative Alaska Air 737 lands at SFO to celebrate the deal. Rainy weddings are good luck, right? (Photo: Peter Biaggi)

Virgin America and Alaska Airlines today officially closed their merger, which means that Virgin America is now a fully-owned subsidiary of Alaska Air Group. To celebrate, Alaska Air is flying a freshly painted, brand new 737 to San Francisco this morning for a big event. TravelSkills will be there, so stay tuned for a full report (and photos) on the festivities!

Most important for now: The Virgin America website says that travelers should not expect to see any major changes to the Virgin America product or onboard experience within the next 12 months.

The combined airline is now the fifth largest airline in the U.S, and the largest on the West Coast, offering travelers more flights and more rewards.

New benefits for guests will launch on Monday, December 19, 2016 including the ability for Elevate members to earn points on Alaska flights (and vice versa), priority airport benefits for elite frequent flyer members, and a new codeshare agreement. Yes, this means that Bay Area travelers can will soon earn Virgin points on Alaska flights to/from San Jose and Oakland!

If you have cross-country flying in your future, now’s the time to book your winter flights. Today nearly all airlines are heavily discounting transcon flights between New York and California, California and Florida, California and Atlanta, Seattle and New York or Boston.

What’s nice is that these these fares apply to nearly all flights from January through March– and all major carriers are participating. And what’s unusual is the time frame of this sale– these fares are good all the way into March, which means they’ll apply during the busy and expensive Spring Break period, too.

Anytime we see fares below $300 for transcontinental flights, we know that we have a very good deal on our hands. Now’s the time to book if you have business on either of the coasts, or would like to visit Florida for some mid-winter sun!

Today Qantas announced that it will soon operate the first nonstop flight between Australia and Europe: Perth-London. It will be the carrier’s longest route. Flights won’t start until March 2018 using the Australian carrier’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which carries 236 passengers. The flight is expected to take about 17 hours and cover 9,010 miles. When Qantas created the first “Kangaroo route” to London in 1947, it took four days and nine stops. According to this CNN article, San Francisco-Delhi on an Air India 777 is the longest route by distance, at 9,400 miles- but due to winds, that flight could be shorter in duration. Other sources say that the current longest flight in the world is Emirates nonstop between Dubai and Auckland at 8,824 miles.

Also this weekend, seats on United’s new Boeing 777-300ER, which will include the new Polaris business class seat, went on sale. Would you like to give the new bird- and that new Polaris seat a try? On February 16, United flight 443 departs SFO at 12:40 pm and arrives EWR at 9 pm. UA1920 departs Newark at 7 am and arrives SFO at 10:23 am. If you want to fly up front, a round trip Polaris business class seat on the inaugural flight from San Francisco to Newark is currently selling for a steep $3,075 one way. (Later in the month, the business class fare drops to about $1,500 each way.) The new 10-across Economy class is much cheaper– about $186 one way. United will fly its new 777 on SFO-EWR from February 16-May 4. Starting on March 25, a new 777 will fly between SFO and Hong Kong. Polaris business class fares are about $2,700 each way. Economy class is running $745 round trip. When we checked on Sunday, it appeared that so far eight Polaris seats had sold on the inaugural SFO>HKG run.

Hot competition is leading to super low fares to Havana this winter (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

With nearly every major airline taking the deep dive into Cuba this month, you may be wondering: Hmmm. I’m curious about going there, but how much might it cost? Here’s the answer: Not much! For example, flights from the New York City area are on sale now for just $205 roundtrip and even lower elsewhere.

And if you are looking for an unusual place for a warm winter trip, you may want to pounce on these sale fares. Want even more incentives to go to Cuba soon? President-elect Donald Trump is talking about reversing the recent opening of Cuba to American visitors.

Here’s a rundown of deals from LA, SF, ATL, NYC and Miami. Check Google Flights for fares from the airport nearest to you.

(Note: Fares available on Thursday Dec 1 and subject to change)

From Los Angeles, you can get to Havana for around $350 from January through June on several different airlines, but only one nonstop- Alaska Air, and it has the cheapest fare at just $303. Spirit actually has some LAX-HAV fares as low as $286- but you have to layer on extra fees for Spirit flights.

San Francisco does not have any nonstop flights to Cuba, but one-stop flights on several carriers are running as low as $376 all winter long. JetBlue has the best deals via New York or Ft Lauderdale

From Atlanta, Spirit Air will jet you down to Havana for about $210 round trip (plus fees!) and Delta’s nonstop is just over $300 round trip for winter trips.

The New York City area has excellent prices from three major players on nonstops– just $205 roundtrip in January and February on Delta, JetBlue and United.

From Miami or Ft Lauderdale you’ll find the cheapest nonstop roundtrip fares of all– just $130. And yes, that is round trip.

So, are you ready to give Cuba a try? Been there yet? Please leave your comments below.

Nothing better than waking up from an unexpectedly long sleep in Singapore Airlines business class to a bowl of piping hot soup that includes veggies, ramen and dumplings. That’s Asian soul food to me. (Chris McGinnis)

I’m kind of a freak about taking photos of my airline meals. (Sorry, seatmates!) While most people make fun of inflight food, over the last year, I’ve had several outstanding meals at 35,000 feet for which I’m very thankful today.

Below is a sampling of some of the best. Do you have a favorite inflight meal photo or description? Share it in the comments!

United Airlines (Chris McGinnis)

A surprisingly satisfying snack on a United Airlines lie-flat flight from Lihue to SFO. The combination of the walnuts, honey, cheese and apricot on a crunchy cracker along with a glass of red wine. Perfect! Read full post

I was stunned to get this full meal on a short 90-minute lunchtime flight between Istanbul and Athens on a Turkish Airlines A330 in business class. A delicious meze sampler along with sea bass baked in parchment, baba ganoush, cheese and dessert. All served at once due to the short flight, but every bite was amazingly good. And filling.

United Airlines (Chris McGinnis)

United has really upped its game this year food-wise and this “rustic quiche” with chicken/mozzarella sausage and roasted multi-colored potatoes (perfectly plated) on an SFO-Newark flight is a prime example. What a nice meal and pleasant change from the old omelet. Trip Report: United p.s. business class SFO-EWR

Singapore Airlines business class (Chris McGinnis)

A beautifully fresh, well-presented starter of poached prawns and roasted cauliflower with a lovely lemon vinaigrette on my recent trip to Singapore on Singapore Air’s new 17-hour A350 nonstop. Read full post

Turkish Airlines (Chris McGinnis)

I’ve never seen inflight food service like I had in both directions on Turkish Airlines between SFO and Istanbul. This plate of chicken skewers was one of several choices, cooked to perfection and beautifully presented. See my Trip Report SFO-IST on Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines (Chris McGinnis)

The best dessert I had all year was also on Turkish Airlines- this was a perfectly cool, sweet and velvety panna cotta served with raspberries and cream. I could have eaten only this and been satisfied!

Qantas (Chris McGinnis)

After getting one of the best night’s sleep ever upstairs in the bubble on a Qantas 747 between SFO and Sydney, this big, filling and delicious breakfast filled the bill. I’m always a big fan of beans with my eggs when traveling in the UK or its former colonies. What you don’t see in this photo is the flight attendant in the galley making hot toast on request! See my full Qantas Trip Report here.

Virgin America (Chris McGinnis)

I fly Virgin America a lot, and my go-to meal in economy class is the protein plate, which includes an egg, sliced turkey, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese grapes and edamame hummus along with pita. That and an Honest T green tea makes for a healthy and satisfying snack or lunch. Don’t miss my Virgin America SFO-Honolulu Trip Report

Qantas (Chris McGinnis)

Again on Qantas, theis somewhat plain-looking vanilla custard for dessert was the perfect end to a great meal on the 14-hour transpac crossing.

Cathay Pacific (Chris McGinnis)

Whenever I fly Cathay Pacific, I make it a point to get to the airport early to have a bowl of fresh, made-to-order soup in its lovely lounge at SFO.

What’s the best meal you’ve ever had at 35,000 feet? Please share a description or photo in the comments.

Recently CNN invited me out to the airport to talk about how travelers can best deal with delays and cancellations- here’s the nut of my seven tips- watch the video [below] for the full story.

1) Book the first flight of the day. The first flight usually spent the night at the airport, and does not need to fly in from somewhere else. Early flights are usually cheaper and less crowded, too.

2) Learn to live out of a carry on bag. I know this is easier said than done, but doing so can make or break a trip. TIP: Wear (and pack) all black! Thinking about shipping luggage ahead of time? Read this first!

3) Be sure airline has your updated contact info. When was the last time you updated your personal profile info? How will the airline reach you?

4) Be sure you have the latest version of the app of your airline downloaded to your phone. Also, use apps like Tripit, FlightStats, FlightAware, LoungeBuddy and HotelTonight if stranded. Note that most airlines no longer pay for hotel stays due to weather-related cancellations.

5) Buy day pass to airline airport club. Best $50-$60 you can spend. However, ask to take a peek into the club before you fork over the fee- many times clubs are more crowded than terminals! Use the LoungeBuddy app to locate your options.

6) Don’t stand in line if your flight is canceled! Get online or on the phone instead.

7) Know when to ask for a FULL REFUND! Did you know that airlines must refund your money if they cancel your flight for any reason? This only applies to cancellations or extreme delays.

Please take a watch for my tips and advice! How do YOU handle (or avoid) delays? Please leave your comments below!

Is this the look of things to come for the combined Alaska Airlines and Virgin America?

The Instagram photo of a shiny red, purple gradient and blue Boeing 737-900 with the words “More to Love” along the fuselage has circulated among aviation geeks over the last few days. The image, which appears to be in an aircraft hangar, also clearly shows the Alaska Airlines Eskimo face on a navy blue tail.

The Puget Sound Business Journal came across the photo and surmised: “The photograph appears to be an aircraft painted to promote the airline combination to travelers and employees of the airlines, rather than be a new livery for all Alaska and Virgin airplanes.”

We’ve reached out to Alaska Airlines for a comment about the image, but have not heard back.

New aircraft liveries always draw plenty of commentary, most of it negative. But I’ll take a stand on this one: I like it and would not mind seeing it as the permanent new livery of the combined carrier. What about you? Please leave your comments below.

In the meantime, the whole Alaska Airlines-Virgin America deal still seems to be stuck in limbo at the Justice Department. The latest rumors about the deal emerged yesterday on The Street, with an insider stating that the combined carrier would have to give up gates at SFO and LAX and terminate code sharing agreements with Delta and American to close the deal.

Hilton HHonors members who book through the HHonors App (get it here) and pay with a Visa credit card for stays during November 2, 2016 – January 31, 2017 will earn an additional 5,000 Bonus Points. How? Here are the details http://www.HHonors.com/VisaBonus.

REDRUM! We checked out this gorgeous new hotel recently and will write about it this week. Any guesses? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

Need a new credit card? Scroll up to our “Credit Card Deals” tab at the top to shop around! It helps us help you!

United installed a basketball court (!) inside its massive SFO hangar to celebrate a new sponsorship (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This week United announced a long-term sponsorship of the Bay Area’s Golden State Warriors basketball team. To celebrate, the carrier installed a temporary branded United-Warriors basketball court (complete with parquet floors and hoops) in United’s SFO Maintenance hangar where over 1,000 employees (and TravelSkills!) watched a dance team, drum corps and a handful of Warriors shoot hoops. As part of this agreement, United will soon have branding in Oakland’s Oracle Arena and, beginning in 2019, inside the new Chase Center, the team’s new arena on the San Francisco waterfront just south of downtown. MileagePlus customers will have the opportunity to use their miles for access to premium seats, suite tickets, VIP experiences and Warriors autographed items.

Links to stories from other sources that we thought you’d like to read:

This week in San Francisco, Singapore Airlines put on a posh gala at the St Regis to celebrate the launch of its newest, longest nonstop flight between San Francisco to Singapore.

SIA will deploy its newest aircraft, an Airbus A350, on the 17-or-so-hour flight, the first of which departs from SFO this Sunday. It’s the first time an Airbus A350 has touched down for commercial service at SFO. Fares for November flights are currently about $800 round trip in economy, $1,800 in premium economy and $4,200 in business class. There are no first class seats on the A350. (TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis will be on the inaugural flight, so stay tuned for his trip report!)

The city’s travel and diplomatic community gathered for a fancy fete where we dined on appetizers, meals and wine served in business and first class on Singapore Airlines flights. On the floor of the event space were two of Singapore’s latest generation business class seats– just like the ones on its new A350– along with a dozen or so “Singapore girls” to assist in transforming the plush leather seat into a nice wide bed for sleeping.

Prior to the event, I was able to sit down with Mr. Mak Swee Wah, Singapore Air’s Executive VP – Commercial, to talk about the new plane and the new nonstop flight, which will be the longest in the SIA network. Here are some highlights from our chat:

TravelSkills: What’s so great about the new A350? What will passengers notice about the plane as soon as they walk onboard? How does it differ from the current B777s used on the route?

Mr Mak: This is the very latest generation twin jet in the market and is much more efficient than other planes. It is perfectly sized [253 passengers] for us to deploy on less dense routes. Singapore-Amsterdam was the first route for our A350s and San Francisco is the latest. The first thing passengers may notice when boarding is how spacious the cabin feels. The shape of the A350 fuselage is such that the side walls are nearly vertical, providing additional shoulder and head space for passengers seated at the windows. When onboard, passengers will notice the latest generation of our seats in all classes- for example, in business class, they’ll enjoy the third iteration of our new business class seat. The carbon fiber used to construct the plane not only makes it lighter and more efficient, it also helps in pressurization and humidity, which makes flights feel more comfortable and helps prevent jet lag. It also makes inflight food taste better. Hepa-filters keep cabin air as clean as in hospitals. Plus, the windows on the A350 are larger than on other Airbus planes- so better views, too.

TravelSkills: SIA is using SQ 31 and SQ 32 as the flight numbers for the SFO-SIN nonstop service. Did you all consider giving the new flight the iconic SQ 1 and SQ 2 designation that you now use on the SFO-Hong Kong-Singapore flights?

Mr Mak: There’s a logic to our flight numbers. For example, all the flights to/from the Americas have single or double digits. Since SQ1 and SQ2 were our first flights ever to the US, we want to preserve that history. Our flights to Singapore via Hong Kong are well established and popular, so we don’t want to change a good thing. When I see the numbers 31 and 32, though, it makes me think in Cantonese where numbers can have significant meaning. The number 3 signifies life and the number 1 is something like long-lasting or longevity. So flight #31 could be about long-lasting life. With 32, you have 3 meaning life, and 2 meaning easy or comfortable. This is not how the company came up with those flight numbers, but it’s a nice way for me to explain them to you and your readers! [Read more about Chinese number superstitions here]

Singapore Airlines execs, Singapore’s ambassador to the US, local media and Singapore girls on stage at the St Regis (Chris McGinnis)

TravelSkills: What did Singapore Air learn about long distance flying when it ran A340s between Newark and Singapore- an 18-20 hour flight that was then the longest in the world?

Mr Mak: We flew the Airbus A340 between Newark and Singapore from 2004-2013. It was an all business class flight with just 100 seats. On long flights like that, our service proposition really comes out and we take a three pronged approach offering good seats, good food and good entertainment. On the new A350, we’ll have the latest generation of our inflight entertainment system, which is arguably the best one in the world. We are currently working on expanding flexible dining options on ultra long haul flights so passengers can eat and sleep on their own cycle. [Later in the evening during a speech Mak said:] When we launch New York-Singapore nonstops in 2018 with the new A350ULR [“ultra long range”] we will reclaim the crown of the world’s longest commercial flight. And we’ll make business travelers in New York and Singapore very happy.

TravelSkills: Are there any plans to upgrade or enhance the Singapore Air Silver Kris lounge at SFO?

Mr Mak: We are looking at our options there. We are aware of the complaints from passengers about the facilities and are working on solutions to improve the lounge.

TravelSkills: United is sure to put its Polaris business class on its SFO-SIN nonstop soon. How will SIA compare or compete with that? How will you convince the many hardcore United Mileage Plus members to fly SIA instead? That’s 17,000 miles round trip!

Our schedules, our hard and soft product, our route network and our well-known inflight service all contribute to a very compelling value proposition. We are also a member of Star Alliance, so MileagePlus members can still earn miles when flying on SIA. [Here’s how you’ll earn United miles when flying Singapore Air]

TravelSkills: Will the A350 be able to fly full year-round or will there be weight or passenger limitations?

Mr Mak: The aircraft can definitely perform on the SFO-SIN flight. However during winter months when winds shift, we will have to carry more fuel and less weight– fewer passengers, less cargo or a little of both.

Singapore’s long-range A350s will fly non-stop to Los Angeles and New York in 2018. (Image: Airbus)

Paul Edwards, the head of Design and Brand Management at Airbus made a speech at the St Regis gala about the new flight and the new plane– here are some interesting nuggets about the A350 that he shared:

>The current version of the plane is the Airbus A350XWB, which stands for Extra Wide Body. At 19.6 feet wide, it’s more spacious than the competing Boeing 787 Dreamliner at 18 feet, 11 inches. The longer range version is the A350ULR which stands for Ultra Long Range, and will be deployed on the New York and Los Angeles runs. [Interesting to note that SFO is closer to Singapore than LAX!]

>The A350 is 25% more efficient than other similar aircraft, which means it burns less fuel per passenger making it “the most environmentally friendly aircraft in the sky”

>The A350 has the largest overhead bins flying– so large that they don’t install them in the center of the plane– which makes it feel much more spacious.

>Cabin air on the A350 is changed every 2-3 minutes and is recirculated through hepa-filters which helps maintain a “fresh smelling” cabin

>There are 12 separate temperature zones on the A350, so rarely will you find hot or cold spots.

>The rate of change in cabin pressure is controlled by onboard computers and gradually increases or decreases during take off and landing, preventing ear-popping.

>Cabin pressure is the same as you’d find at about 6,000 feet on the ground [so about like Denver]. Other aircraft have cabin pressure at about 8,000 feet.

>The A350 is about six decibels quieter than other aircraft, which results in better sleep– and less need for noise canceling headsets.

>In economy class, those obnoxious underseat metal boxes that contain inflight entertainment systems have been removed to provide more legroom.

>New LED cabin lighting has thousands of variations, and they use a blue hue which supposedly helps counteract the effects of jet lag.

San Francisco’s Terminal 1 overhaul is leading to some closures. (Image: San Francisco International Airport)

In the latest airport developments, San Francisco warns travelers about some upcoming closures; Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson starts work on a major project; an international carrier opens a lounge at Newark Liberty International; and American will adjust its presence at its Philadelphia hub.

At San Francisco International, officials are advising travelers that due to ongoing renovation work in Terminal 1, some facilities and areas there will be closed in the days ahead, possibly resulting in some inconvenience or congestion. On Monday (October 24), the connecting walkway linking Terminal 1 and International Boarding Area A will be closed, so passengers will have to use AirTrain to transfer between those points. Also, the Southwest Airlines ticket counters will move to a new location closer to Delta and Frontier. On the arrivals level, October 21 is the starting date for closure of the traffic lane closest to Terminal 1 from Doors 1 through 10; and on the departures level, closure of the lane closest to Terminal 1 from Doors 1 through 5 starts October 28. Click here to see details and suggested tips for affected passengers. The airport has created a cool video simulation of the reconstruction process for T1. Worth a look but turn down the volume to avoid the Game of Thrones-like soundtrack 😉

A dramatic new canopy and a new tunnel are part of Atlanta Airports $20 billion in improvements (Photo: ATL)

Preparatory work has begun at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson for the installation of those massive overhead glass canopies above the pickup and drop-off areas outside the domestic terminal. It’s one of the most visible parts of the airport’s ongoing $6 billion expansion and renovation project. The initial stage of the canopy project – construction of the foundations — has led to some lane closures in the area around the terminal. The closures started earlier this month for shuttle and commercial vehicle pick-ups and drop-offs in the outer lanes of Terminal North, and similar closures will begin October 30 at Terminal South. Airport officials are advising travelers to build in extra time if they’re going into those areas.

Air Canada opened a Maple Leaf Lounge at Newark. (Image: Air Canada)

At Newark Liberty International, Air Canada has opened a new Maple Leaf Lounge for premium passengers near its departure gates in Terminal A, beyond the security checkpoint. The facility offers free Wi-Fi, refreshments, and work areas that include free printing. Air Canada operates up to 23 flights a day from Newark (including United code-shares), serving Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. The airline said it will open a new Maple Leaf Lounge in Montreal next month, and an expanded facility in Vancouver next summer.

American Airlines inherited a hub at Philadelphia International from its merger with US Airways, and it is planning some changes to its operations there in the months ahead. On January 1, American will consolidate its arrival and departure banks – scheduled to maximize connections – from eight a day to six. This will mean rescheduling of flight times in many cases, so if you’re a regular PHL traveler, check AA’s schedules. The airline also reportedly plans to reduce the number of flights it operates at Philadelphia, although in some cases it will switch from smaller to larger aircraft to minimize the impact on passenger capacity.

Airberlin will add Berlin nonstops using A330-200 from San Francisco and Los Angeles next summer- at decent prices. (Image: Airberlin)

Germany’s second largest airline, Airberlin, will launch new nonstops between San Francisco and Los Angeles and Berlin-Tegel airport four days a week starting next May. This marks the first time for a nonstop to Berlin from the Bay Area. Flight time between SFO and TXL is about 11 hours.

A quick glance at airfares on Google Flights for June and July 2017 show round trips in the $1,300 range in economy– a good price for peak season transatlantic flights. Business class flights are about $3,400 round trip. Airberlinalso offers upgrades to XL economy seats with 20% more legroom for about $100 each way. (LAX fares are similar)

AirBerlin also flies nonstop between San Francisco, LAX and Dusseldorf during summer months. Air Berlin is a member of the Oneworld Alliance and is 30% owned by Etihad Airways. Last month Airberlin announced a radical restructuring that will ultimately lead to more of a focus on business travelers- you can read all about that here: “The new airberlin; analyst presentation”

Airberlin will fly nonstop from eight US cities in summer 2017 to Dusseldorf and Berlin: San Francisco, New York (JFK), Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando (new), Fort Myers, and Los Angeles. The airberlin hubs in Berlin and Dusseldorf are conveniently connected with many airberlin destinations in Germany, Europe and beyond.

All Airbus A330-200 operating these flights are equipped with airberlin’s premium long-haul product: 19 seats in the exclusive full flat business class section (1-2-1 configuration) and 271 Economy Class seats, including 46 XL Seats, which offer around 20 per cent more legroom.

SFO’s new 221-foot air traffic control tower operational this week (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

After more than a year of preparation, air traffic controllers will be working in San Francisco International Airport’s gorgeous new control tower this weekend.

Rising up in a graceful flare, the new tower is 221 feet tall. The 650 square-foot controller work area gives air traffic controllers unobstructed 235-degree views of SFO’s runways and taxiways. It replaces the current tower on top of Terminal 2, which will be dismantled quickly beginning in January because it obstructs runway views from the new one.

To celebrate, let’s revisit the behind-the-scenes tour TravelSkills took in 2015 when the airport turned the tower over to the FAA, whichspent the last year outfitting the voluptuous, flared cylinder with its systems, testing them and training controllers.

Part of the tower project was to create a bright new land side corridor (along the roadway) connecting Terminal 1 with Terminal 2. What’s amazing about the corridor is that it has a glass roof so you can stop and peer up at the new tower. Handrails are needed to keep folks from falling over as they crane their necks to view the beautiful new metallic cone. It’s gorgeous, almost hypnotic, and vertigo-inducing to look up at it as the clouds roll by.

The view looking up from the new glass-roofed corridor between T1 and T2- note the waterfall of lights panels facing west (Chris McGinnis)

A new computer controlled display now lights up the tower in a variety of colors, which can be seen from miles away after dusk. Like the Empire State Building or San Francisco City Hall, the new “waterfall of lights” is used for special occasions– orange when the Giants win, or red and green for Christmas, etc.

Inch-thick, blast-proof glass across the front of the building under the tower (Chris McGinnis)

The FAA has offices in a three-story building at the base of the tower, where the exterior and glass walls have been thickened and hardened to prevent damage from truck bombs on the nearby roadway.

The structure is built on “bay mud” according to project manager Tony Kingsman who said that the tower is supported in bedrock 140 below ground, and is designed to withstand an 8.0 earthquake and still be operational.

This is SFO’s fourth control tower. The current one was built in 1981 atop the current Terminal 2, deemed seismically unstable, so construction began on the new tower three years ago.

It cost about $120 million to build the tower, FAA office building and corridor. The FAA kicked in about 70 million of that– enough for a basic, utilitarian structure, but SFO wanted it to be an iconic, torch-like symbol of the gateway to the Pacific, so it contributed an additional $50 million for aesthetics, as well as additional airport space like the new corridor.

With the new tower open, the old tower will be dismantled quickly so as not to obstruct runway views from the new one. There is talk of the airport adding a outdoor viewing platform, open the the public, in the old tower’s footprint atop T2, but for now, that’s just talk.

Okay then. Let’s crawl up inside this spectacular structure! Watch this video and scroll through the images and video below.

(NOTE: This video was shot last year before the FAA moved its equipment into the tower.)

Aside from the stunning view, note that US Airways/American is now operating out of Delta’s Boarding Area C (Chris McGinnis)

First taking an elevator up about 10 floors and then walking up a spiral staircase, you enter a wonderland of planespotting— a full 270 degrees of unobstructed airport views through 24 giant panes of 1-1/2 inch-thick glass. On the western side of the 650-square-foot “cab” there are a few pillars that hold up the roof. I’ve never seen a view like this one.

Looking out from 221 feet over Terminal 2, home of Virgin America and American (Chris McGinnis)

The tower complex is covered in at least 100 lightning rods grounded by shiny woven metal cables. Look closely and you’ll see them (Chris McGinnis)

Looking out at the United hangar and (oddly) looking down on the current control tower, which will soon disappear (Chris McGinnis)